CIRCUS ^RUGINOSUS. 69 



Lieut. W. V. Legge/ writing on the birds of Southern Ceylon, says (Ibis^ 

 Jan. 1874, 3rd ser. vol. iv. p. 10) :— ''Of Circinse, the only two species that 

 are common are Circus swainsonii and C. ceruginosus ; both affect, by choice, 

 swampy lands and paddy-fields. The latter bird arrives in the south in the 

 middle of October, and is very numerous close to the town of Galle. An 

 exceedingly interesting series thus fell into my possession, from the white 

 head to the adult grey wings and black primaries. I have not met with 

 any birds entirely brown. The next stage of plumage to the buff- white head 

 is the beautiful buff-marked least wing-coverts, which are accompanied by 

 the golden iris and yellow cere and feet of the adult. During the north-east- 

 monsoon rains, in December, these birds feed much on fish in the flooded 

 flat lands of the south. I have shot them devouring large ' lulu ' fish, more 

 than a pound in weight." 



Mr. Allan Hume ('Stray Feathers,' vol. i. 1873, p. 160) observes: — 

 " The Marsh-Harrier was excessively common, both along the great rivers 

 of the Punjab and Sindh and about all the inland waters of the latter 

 province. ... In Southern Sindh we never saw it. Adults of this species 

 were very rare ; indeed I cannot be certain that we ever even saw any ; and 

 we certainly shot none." 



Mr. R. Bowdler Sharpe (' Catalogue of the Accipitres in the British 

 Museum,' 1874, p. 70) states thus: — "Both sexes appear to be alike when 

 young, and to pass through the same changes till the adult stage is reached. 

 The latter may be known by the bluish-grey wings and tail. Adult female 

 slightly larger than male ; total length 23 inches, wing 17, tail 11, tarsus 3-8. 

 Total length of male 22*5 inches, culmen 1*55, wing 16, tail 10, tarsus 3-4. 



" Hab, Europe generally, seldom north of 60° N. lat. ; rare in Siberia, 

 but occurring in China, Japan, and the Philippines in winter, as well as the 

 whole of India and N.E. Africa, occurring at that season in S. Africa also.^' 



VOL. II. L 



