OENITHOLOGY OF COBN"WALL. 209 



Circidse ; and I mentioned, on a former occasion, that there was 

 really no need to exterminate the* species, or to try to do so, as a 

 bird of prey, as it has been ascertained, beyond any doubt, 

 that its food is principally confined to reptiles, and not birds, 

 and that where a solitary partridge or quail may once now and 

 then fall within its clutches, nine times out of ten at least 

 you will find that toads, frogs, vipers, snakes, or lizards, are its 

 objects for food. A good many of these Harriers have been in 

 the Lizard district this year ; and my friend Mr. Q-eorge "Williams, 

 on whose property they were seen, told me that his keepers have 

 been urging their destruction as game-destroyers, deserving 

 no credit for possessing any possible compensating good 

 qualities. Specimens of this Harrier have been killed from 

 the same property nearly every year, for some years, and they 

 have in most instances come under my notice. Vipers have 

 been found in their craws, and I had notice that these keepers 

 of Mr. Williams's had set gins to catch them, with all sorts of 

 bait, and the only lure that succeeded in drawing them to their 

 fate was a viper, which was laid on the plate of the gin, after 

 small birds, eggs, &c., had been in vain tried. 



Two more of these interesting Harriers were sent by Mr. 

 "Williams, for preservation, to Mr. Yingoe's workshop this week 

 — a bird of the year, with an uniform tawny breast, and a male 

 bird in the second year's plumage. I was fortunate enough to 

 obtain from Mr. Vingoe the result of his post mortem examination 

 of the contents of the craws of these birds, and, instead of any 

 game being detected, nothing could be seen but the remains of 

 several lizards and only one small bird, probably a young 

 sparrow. My object in this notice, is simply to endeavour to 

 enlist for this beautiful and elegant Harrier, some degree of 

 favour, and to commend it to the regard of those who, like 

 myself, wish to see the economy of the creation in its true balance, 

 and not treated with violence and injustice." 



