ORNITHOLOGY OF CORNWALL. 287 



another name for the bird. This species is now of frequent oc- 

 currence, and is more frequently met with, at least in this county, 

 than the other two, viz., the Common Harrier and the Marsh Har- 

 rier. Several were obtained from the Lizard district last Spring ; 

 and one, on the property of George Williams, Esq., taken with 

 several others, showed a character in its plumage which seems to 

 be a peculiar feature in this species, viz., the prevalence of an 

 uniform dark liver colour over the whole body of some specimens. 

 A great number of specimens in this dark plumage are recorded 

 in the Zoologist for 1870 ; and so numerous have been the examples 

 in this aberrant form of colour, that they seem to establish a 

 different "race," without however being specifically distinct. I 

 shall give an extract of what I reported of Mr. Williams' bird as 

 applicable to our present proceedings : — 



" This Harrier may be regarded as a species quite as plentiful 

 as the Common or Hen Harrier of late years in the Land's End 

 district. We get them in Cornwall in all stages of plumage, but 

 more frequently in the immature state than the adult; in the 

 former state the whole of the under plumage is of an uniform 

 fawn colour. An adult male and female were killed on the pro- 

 perty of George Williams, Esq., at St. Keverne, this week, and 

 with them was a second female, a variety with an uniform sooty- 

 black plumage throughout, — the second of the kind that has come 

 under my notice. The tone of this colour is so intense that the 

 bars of the tail are only just peKjeptible. Both the females were 

 far advanced in the development of their eggs. The adult female 

 has the breast intermixed with dirty white and rufous blotches. 

 This appears to be the adult ordinary female plumage ; the upper 

 plumage more or less brown, with a broken patch of Avhite on the 

 wing coverts. The dark bird was caught in a trap, first baited 

 with a rabbit ; — this attracted her notice, but she abstained from 

 pouncing upon it. The keeper thought that a viper would be a 

 more attractive lure, and having killed one, placed it on the trap. 

 The bird on seeing it immediately pounced on the reptile and 

 was captured. It is always well in the pursuit of Natural History 

 to watch the economy and the compensating qualities in predatory 

 creatures ; and this little fact is mentioned to show that amongst 

 our birds of prey, which by game-keepers and game-preservers 

 are branded as vermin, results beneficial to mankind may be traced 



