FALCONID^. 143 



Joiirn. iii. p. 18). A young female was killed near Exeter in December 1875, and one on 

 Black Hill near Exmouth in January 1888. 



An adult male occurred at BarnstajDle in April 18(i6. Another was seen on 

 Braunton iMarshes in November 1874, pursued by a Peregrine ; and another male 

 was obtained there, January 7th, 1876 ; two other specimens occurred there, Kovember 

 1.1th, 1875 (M. A. M., Zool. 1875, p. 4297 ; 1876, p. 4759). One was obtained at 

 Heanton, near Barnstaple, in December 1889 (J. G. H., Zool. 1890, p. 1U8). 



We are informed by Lord Lilford that he saw an adult female Hen-Harrier nailed 

 up to a "keeper's tree" at Tetcott, in North Devon, in November 1869, which had 

 been killed some ten days before. He also, at various times, saw several birds of this 

 species, one an old male, on wing ia the same neighbourhood, always in November or 

 December. 



Dr. Edward Moore says: — " Mr. Drew has a specimen which appears to be a variety 

 of the male ; it is similar in size and shape ; but the whole of the plumage is of the 

 ' pitch or brownish black ' of Syme's nomenclature of colour. The bird was shot by a 

 gamekeeper of G. Leach, Esc|., who declared that the female which he afterwards killed 

 Oil the nest with two young ones was of the same colour" (Mag. Nat. Hist. 1837) 

 Perhaps these birds belonged to the melanic race of the next species. 



Montagu's Harrier. Circus cineraceus (Mont.). 



[The Ash-coloured Falcou of Montagu.] 



A casual visitor, occurring not unfrequently, especially on the south- 

 western part of Dartmoor and in its neighbourhood. It is usually seen in 

 spring and suran^er, and has been known to breed on several occasions. 

 It does not appear to have been met with in this county later in the year 

 than October. 



This is, without doubt, the commonest of the three species of Harrier in 

 the AVest Country, and is more numerous the nearer one approaches the 

 Land's End district. Mr. Eodd called it "a common species in Cornwall," 

 and Mr. Cecil Smith considered it to be more common in Somerset than 

 the Hen-Harrier. It was not rare in North Devon from 1856-60, the 

 period when we were constantly on the Barnstaple river on the look-out 

 for wildfowl. In September we have seen four or five in one day in the 

 salt-marshes adjoining the Taw, and many immature specimens in the red 

 plumage were at times brought to the Barnstaple bird-stuffer. 



"We one day came across the dead body of a male in a keeper's trap in 

 a small cover near Barnstaple. The poor bird was drenched with rain, 

 and had so beaten its feathers in its efforts to escape, that it was bcj-ond 

 making into a skin. We have seen a pair of this Harrier on Exmoor in 

 May. Mr. M. F. Bisset, who was for so long a time the popular master 

 of the Devon and Somerset Staghounds, had a nest of this Harrier with 

 the young and two old birds preserved at Bagborougli House. They liad 

 been taken by his keeper at Bixton Park, Dulverlon, wlien lie resided 

 there. A nest with young was taken on tlie ]Uackdown Hills, near 

 Taunton, and the young birds were presented to the Zoological Gardens 

 in London, where, however, they received scant honour, for a gentleman 

 who Wiis interested in their welfare, on visiting the (Jardens a month or 

 two after they had been received, found the last survivor minus a tail in a 

 Blackbird's cage in a remote part of the grounds, where only riibbi.sh was 



