132 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



tail-coverts white, with rufous and brown mixed in 

 various ways ; tail grey above, isabelline below ; 

 abdomen and lower tail-coverts ferruginous brown, 

 more or less striped darker. 



Females are dark brown except the crown, nape, 

 chin and more or less of the throat, which are buft' 

 with brown stripes. There is sometimes a patch of 

 buff on the breast, the wing-coverts and back 

 have buff edges, and the upper tail-coverts are 

 rufous. 



The young of both sexes resemble the females 

 except that the buff on the head is sometimes un- 

 streaked and more limited in extent, being confined 

 in some cases to a nuchal patch or even wanting 

 altogether." (Blanford.) 



" Bill black ; cere and base of bill greenish-yel- 

 low ; iris yellow, brownish-yellow in females and 

 young ; legs and feet rich yellow"' (Hinne.) 

 Measurements. " Length of males 31 ; tail 9'5 : wing 16 ; tarsus 



3-4. Length of females 32-5 ; tail 9-75': wing 16-6 ; 

 tarsus 3'5 " (Blanford). 

 Habits, etc. The Marsh-Harrier is a familiar feature of every 



jheel in the Province and wherever there is a 

 swamp of any kind with reeds, there will be found 

 one or more of this species. Like all other memi- 

 bersof this genus this species spends most of its time 

 beating slowly over reeds and grass. The flight is 

 very similar to the others except that the beats of 

 the wing are slower and more deliberate, it is more 

 given to soaring and when so engaged it holds its 

 wings well above the level of the back. Nothing in 

 the way of food comes amiss to this species from a 

 wounded teal to a dead crab or a grasshopper. It 

 is much more given to sitting than any of the others 

 and, in fact, spends a great deal of its time sitting 

 on the bunds of paddy fields or edges of jheels. 

 This species must have a hard struggle for existenca 

 and is only saved from starvation by the fact that 

 it is content to eat things which other Raptores do 

 not consider worthwhile to take from it. 



Pallas's Fishing-Eagle and the Spotted Eagle are 

 ever on the look out for any tit-bits the Marsh Har- 

 rier may find, and unless the latter can hide itself and 

 its quarry in long grass, it stands very little chance 

 of enjoying its breakfast. 



There appear to be many more specimens in the 

 garb of the female than that of the male, and for 

 every one of the latter one might meet with 10 of 

 the former. 



This Harrier, though migratory, breeds frequently 

 in this country and nests have been taken in various 

 places, and the bird is by no means uncommon in 

 the summer. Like all Harriers it builds on the 

 ground and lays 4 or 5 eggs " which are either pure 

 white or slightly spotted and measure about 2" by 

 l-o"" (Blanford.) 



