428 



Africa, and occurs, Loche says, in many parts of the provinces of Algiers and Constantine. 

 According to Favier (fide Colonel Irby, Orn. Str. Gibr. p. 32) some of these birds " remain to 

 breed near Tangier, where they are nearly as common as the Marsh-Harrier, being seen during 

 passage on all sides in pairs." It has been said by Berthelot to have occurred in the Canaries ; 

 but Mr. Godman remarks that he never met with it in the Azores, Madeira, or the Canaries. 

 On the west coast of Africa it is found down to the Cape. Mr. Gurney says that he has seen 

 examples of this Harrier which were obtained by Mr. Andersson at Objimbinque, in Damara Land, 

 and in Ondonga, Ovampo Land ; and Mr. Layard writes (B. of S. Afr. p. 34) : — " The ash-coloured 

 Harrier is rare in South Africa. Mr. Atmore procured a fine adult male at Swellendam ; and I 

 shot an adult female and the young bird mentioned above near the Observatory at Cape Town, 

 below which is a marsh much frequented by Harriers of several descriptions. I also killed a fine 

 male in the crater of an extinct volcano at Johanna, one of the Comoro Islands, where I saw 

 many specimens." 



In Asia Montagu's Harrier is found as far east as China. It occurs in Persia; and Major 

 St. John says that he shot one at Shapur about the end of April 1864. Mr. Abbott procured it 

 at Trebizond ; and in India, Dr. Jerdon states, it is abundant and migratory throughout the 

 country. Mr. Holdsworth also records it from Ceylon, where, however, it is not so numerous as 

 Circus swainsoni. It was not met with in Mongolia by Colonel Prjevalsky; and I do not find it 

 recorded from Siberia; but Pere David says that it occurs, though rarely, in Northern and 

 Central China, and Mr. Swinhoe met with it on the Yangtsze river. 



In habits the present species does not appreciably differ from the Hen-Harrier ; but it may 

 readily be distinguished from that by its more slender form, by its proportionally longer wing, 

 and by its quicker movements and greater buoyancy on the wing. It feeds on insects of various 

 kinds, reptiles, field-mice, small birds, birds' eggs, &c, is said to evince a great partiality for 

 insect food and small reptiles, especially lizards ; and Naumann states that it devours moles, 

 and will attack and kill young hares. It flies somewhat low, quartering the ground carefully, 

 and pounces down on its prey like the Hen-Harrier. After the breeding-season it is said to be 

 found in large flocks, numbering, according to M. Barbier Montault, several hundreds, and even 

 thousands, collecting together towards evening to roost in company. It roosts on the ground 

 amongst the grass, standing corn, or heather, seldom, if ever, perching on a tree or bush ; and, 

 like its allies, it is essentially a bird of the plains and open country. Mr. Wolley says (Ootheca 

 Wolleyana, p. 148) that he was told that the male selects the nesting-place, the female approving 

 or disapproving of it as she thinks fit, and the male comes to feed his mate, she frequently going 

 to meet him, turning on her back and catching the prey thus brought her, which is, however, 

 occasionally dropped on the nest. He adds that in the fen country this Harrier is migratory, 

 whereas the Marsh-Harrier and Hen-Harrier are resident. 



The nest of this Harrier, like that of its allies, is placed on the ground, and is made of 

 leaves of dried grass, being of less-coarse materials than, but not so slightly constructed as, that 

 of the Hen-Harrier ; and the eggs, from four to six in number, are usually deposited late in May. 

 They are bluish white in colour, and resemble the eggs of the Hen-Harrier, but are smaller in 

 size, those in my collection varying from ljf by 1\% inch to Iff by l^f inch. 



Mr. Howard Saunders, who found the nest of this Harrier in the Isle of Wight, gives (in 



