Days' Nesting in Andalucia. 77 
Athene noctua. 
Very common. Eggs were found from April 24th, the 
bird often sitting on three only, while tlie largest number 
in one nest was five. They are laid at intervals of one 
or two days. One nest was on the ground, inside a large 
cork-tree. In nearly every case the female was incubating. 
Young birds were found on May 14th. 
Circus .eruginosus. 
Common, especially by the river, where they nest in the 
reeds. On May 6th we found seven nests in the almost 
impenetrable reeds on Tarfia : in some the eggs were fresh, 
in others incubation was far advanced. One contained 
five, one four, one three, the others only two; but as thirty 
dozen eggs of Purple Herons and " Kites ^^ were taken 
by one set of fishermen from this island last year, it is 
possible that the clutches were incomplete though incubated. 
The nests were made of rashes, and were situated lower in 
the reeds than those of the Heron, while they were very 
substantial : one nearly carried ray weight. As a rule, they 
were not in quite such thick places, and one was on the ground 
in a nearly clear spot. The birds sat close ; we never flushed 
a male from the nest. Four nearly fresh eggs were found on 
May 15th in the marisma on a little scrub bush. One male 
had his crop full of remains of eggs. 
Circus cineraceus. 
Not so common as the last species and more local. We 
only found it numerous in one large enclosure of high 
grass and rough weeds, where, on May 7th, we took five 
nests, containing four or five eggs each, which were slightly 
incubated or fresh. They were all placed on the ground, and 
were well made, one having many feathers in it. In each case 
the female Avas on the nest, and from one which was killed 
I took the leg of a Quail. This Harrier sits very closely : I 
marked one hen bird on her nest, and four men walked in line 
ten yards apart till I was convinced we had passed her : we 
turned round and walked past once more ; still she declined 
to move. I then fired two shots without result ; but it was 
