164 HEN-HARRIER. 



the eyes to the fore part of the neck, is encircled 

 by a slight ruff or collar of stiffer feathers than the 

 rest of the plumage. 



The Female Hen-Harrier, commonly called the 

 Ring-Tail, differs so strikingly in its plumage as to 

 have been often considered as a distinct species, 

 and has been described as such in the works of the 

 most intelligent naturalists. Mr. Pennant imagined 

 that the long-disputed point relative to the differ- 

 ence of species between the Hen-Harrier and the 

 King-Tail had at length been determined by the 

 criterion of dissection ; a Ring-Tail having, on 

 examination, turned out to be a male bird. It 

 appears however, from the undeniable testimony 

 of the most accurate observers and experienced 

 sportsmen, that the above observation, though true 

 in itself, is by no means conclusive. This, which 

 appears at first to be highly paradoxical, is ex- 

 plained by observing that the male Hen-Harrier, 

 during the first years of its life, is similar in plu- 

 mage to the female, and does not begin to acquire 

 its elegantly-pale colour till its age is considerably 

 advanced. This circumstance, which seems now 

 fully ascertained, renders it unnecessary to dwell 

 farther on the subject than by giving a description 

 of the female bird or Ring-Tail*. It usually mea- 

 sures from eighteen to twenty inches in length, 



* Yet it is but just to add, that the conductor of the ingenious 

 Mr. Bewick's highly elegant work on British Birds speaks of 

 Hen-Harriers of both sexes having been observed, and, in con- 

 sequence, supposes the Hen-Harrier and the King-Tail to be two 

 distinct species. 



