12 



colour varied with grey. A narrow white fringe^ varied with brown^ encircles the throaty terminating 

 behind the ear-coverts. Cere and legs yellow; beak and claws black; irides bright yellow. Length 

 22*5 inches; extent of wings 52*5; wing, from flexure^ 17; tail 10; tarsus 4; middle toe and claw 2*5; 

 hind toe and claw 1"75; bill along the ridge 1*5^ along the edge of lower mandible 1*5. 



Adult female. Slightly larger than the male^ but differing very little in plumage. The tints generally are 

 lighter^ the edges of the scapulars are rufous-white instead of brown ; and the wings are varied with 

 rufous and white^ especially towards the flexure. 



Young. In the young bird the whole of the plumage is chocolate-brown, darker on the upper parts, and edged 

 with paler brown; hind part of the neck varied with white, and tinged with rufous; upper tail-coverts 

 rufous brown, with paler tips and fulvous at the base, sometimes white barred with rufous brown. 

 Cere and legs yellow ; irides dark brown. 



Progress towards maturity. Upper parts dark brown with a purple gloss; the tail with five rather obscure 

 bars of black, about half an inch apart, and darkest towards the tip ; upper tail-coverts delicate fawn- 

 colour, with the centre of each feather brown, shaded off on the sides. The wing-coverts have a coppery 

 hue, and the longer ones, together with the scapulars, are narrowly tipped with rufous white. Under- 

 parts bright chocolate-brown, tinged with rufous, especially on the neck and abdomen ; tibial plumes 

 rufous brown. Cere and legs yellow; beak and claws black ; irides bright yellowish brown. 



■ 



Nestling, Covered with buffy-white down ; cere and legs yellow. 



■ 



Ohs. It must be noted that individuals differ, more or less, in the details of their colouring during their 

 progress towards maturity. With extreme age, the fulvous of the lower parts changes to white, and the 

 brown markings become much narrower, being almost obsolete on the tibial plumes. The silvery grey 

 on the quills and tail-feathers increases, while the rufous colouring diminishes, and the lining of the 

 wings becomes pure white, with narrow shaft-lines of dark brown. There is a beautiful albino specimen 

 in the Nelson Museum. 



The present species is spread over a wide geographical area ; for not only is it found in all parts 

 of our own country, but it also occurs in Australia and Tasmania, extending to the eastward to 

 the Fiji Islands, and ranging northwards into the Malay archipelago as far as Celebes. Mr. J. H. 

 Gumey has already drawn attention (Ibis, 1870, p. 536) to the fact that our Harrier is exactly 

 the same species as that figured by Mr. Gould in the ' Birds of Australia ' under the name of 

 Circus assimilis. The true Circus assimilis of Jardine and Selby (111. Orn. ii. pi. 51) has proved, 

 however, to be only the young of Circus jardinii, also figured in the ' Birds of Australia ' (pi. 27) ; 

 and therefore the New-Zealand Harrier bears the name of Circus gouldi, Bonap, (L c.) 



It is a very common bird in New Zealand, being met with on the fern-covered hills, in the 

 plains, among the marshes of the low country, and even along the open seabeach, where it feeds on 

 carrion. It is seldom, however, found in the dense bush, although I once surprised one there in 

 the act of picking a large Wood-Pigeon. 



Like all the other members of the genus, it hunts on the wing, performing wide circles at a 

 low elevation from the ground, and sailing over meadows, fern-land, or marshes in quest of 

 iizards, mice, and other small game. Its flight is slow but vigorous and well sustained. The 



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