LXXXII. 

 (I Reus 0:RUGINOSUS. (I.A1M.) 



Moor Br//ARn, Mar.^h Hahrikh. 



Montague, in describing, the cg/rs of llie Marsh Harrier, 

 says, that they are " perfectly white, without any spot ;" 

 Latham, on the contrary, in his description of the same spe- 

 cies, that they " are spotted with brown/" 



These assertions, when applied to the particular specimens 

 of the eggs which each of the parties may themselves have 

 seen, are, I doubt not, perfectly correct. Mr. Selby, how- 

 ever, takes a more general and decided ground, and contra- 

 dicting the statement in the Index Ornithologicus of Latham, 

 says, that they are " white, and not spotted." 



With both of the two former of these descriptions, taking 

 them, as I have done, to refer only to particular specimens of 

 the eggs of the same species, I have no difficulty in agreeing, 

 but regret that I cannot do so with that of Mr. Selby also. 

 The eggs of the Moor Buzzard, although for the most part 

 white, are sometimes also spotted and smeared with brown, 

 in the same manner as those of the Hen Harrier. I have 

 not, therefore, thought it necessary to give a figure of the 

 spotted variety. 



This species and the Common Buzzard approximate most 

 beautifully as far as relates to their breeding, and connect 

 the two genera. The Common Buzzard, as I have before 

 shown, breeds in trees ; its eggs are usually spotted, rarely 

 quite white. The eggs of the Marsh Harrier are most com- 

 monly white, but sometimes spotted ; it almost always breeds 

 on the ground, but will sometimes (assuming tlie habits of 

 the Common Buzzard) breed in the fork of a large tree in 

 which place Montague says he has himself found it ; in sucji 

 a situation the nest would, as he describes i1, be formed of 



