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the ' Field ' for the 2nd September 1875) some interesting notes respecting its nesting-habits. He 

 describes the nest as being in a clearing about four feet in diameter amongst the gorse, and 

 consisting of a mere hollow in the ground lined with dry grass, with an outside border of fine 

 heather twigs. It contained three eggs, two of which were taken, and the third left. Another 

 egg was afterwards laid ; but only one was hatched ; and the young bird was taken, and subse- 

 quently sent to the Zoological Gardens, where it died. Speaking of the habits of the parent 

 birds, Mr. Saunders writes as follows : — " I visited the nest frequently, and had excellent oppor- 

 tunities of observing the male bird, which was an unmistakable Montagu, his dark colour and 

 striated flanks and abdomen being clearly visible with a glass. Early morning and towards 

 evening were the best times for seeing him ; but he seemed to frequent a portion of the downs at 

 some distance from the nest ; and although when the female had been disturbed from the nest 

 and was on the wing for some time he would generally make his appearance, yet in the course 

 of many hours' watching at different times I never observed him approach the nest, as if to bring 

 food, or taking his turn at incubation. From observations made abroad, I fancy that few, if any, 

 of the males of the Circinse do so ; certainly I never flushed a male Montagu or a male Marsh- 

 Harrier [Circus ceruginosus) from the nest ; and I have visited some scores of them. Towards 

 evening the female, when put off the nest, would sometimes, after flying in repeated and 

 gradually widening circles, begin to quarter the ground regularly for food ; and I have occa- 

 sionally seen her settle down for a short time, doubtless to devour whatever had been seized ; 

 but until the first egg was hatched she was almost always on the nest at the time of each visit. 

 On leaving the nest she generally circled over the valley, taking wide sweeps over the coomb of 

 the hills ; and after a short disappearance she would suddenly come over the brow from some 

 unexpected quarter, so that any attempt at concealment, except in a place where one could see 

 nothing one's self, would have been fruitless; but at a distance of some 200 yards, or rather more, 

 was a convenient line of gorse, whence we could easily observe her with our glasses ; and our 

 presence there did not seem to interfere with her return to the nest. When Rooks were about, 

 and particularly if they crossed the line of the nest, she displayed great anxiety, and occasionally 

 made a dash at one or two of those nearest, sometimes uttering a cry something like that of a 

 Kestrel, but feebler and more querulous. There was reason for her antagonism ; for both Rooks 

 and Carrion-Crows (there are plenty of the latter in the island) showed by their movements that 

 they were perfectly aware of the position of the eggs ; and I soon learned to dread them more 

 than any prowling cowherds. It was necessary to run some risk to ascertain when and how many 

 eggs were laid ; but my movements were always made as quietly as possible. Several times, by 

 crawling on hands and knees for some distance, and availing myself of a small tunnel in the lower 

 part of the gorse, I got to within a couple of feet of the sitting bird ; and on two occasions a small 

 bird, a Titlark I think, gave an alarm-note, at which the bird rose. A few seconds more, and I 

 should have actually seen her on the nest ; for only a few inches separated me from the clearing. 

 The Titlark, or whatever it was, frequented the same bare space ; but it certainly had no nest 

 there after the fashion of the Spanish Sparrows (Passer Mspaniolensis), which breed in colonies 

 in the foundations of the nests of Eagles and other large Raptores. It was very interesting to 

 watch the movements of the Harrier when returning to her nest : the wide circles which had 

 enabled her to take in the position of any large object on the down gradually narrowed ; then 



