THE SPECIES. S7 



Clnclus. Plate iv. CINCLINM (Passeridse). 



47. aquatic-usj 7 in. Dipper. Blackish brown head ; dark grey back ; 



chest white ; breast brown, 



48, melanogaster, 7 in. Black-bellied Dipper. Blackish brown head ; 



dark grey back ; chest white ; breast black. 



The Dipper — Dimensions, Fb ; Eggs, Fo— otherwise the Water Ouzel, is one of the most 

 interesting of genuine British birds. Wherever there is a roar of waters, his short cheery 

 song is almost sure to be heard. Although he is not web-footed, he is truly aquatic in his 

 habits, and floats, and swims, and dives, and actually flies under water, as if water were his 

 true element. He flies like a Kingfisher, but with rather more labour, but he never plunges 

 direct at a fish, but alights on the shore, and wades in until he is out of his depth. Dippers 

 generally go in pairs, the sexes being alike in plumage. The nest is a beautiful felt-work of 

 green moss, lined with dry grass and withered leaves, and is always domed when it is not in 

 a hole. There are from four to six eggs. 



The Black-bellied Dipper — Dimensions, Fc ; Eggs, Fp — only differs in colour from his 

 relative, and is generally found in East Anglia. 



Circus. Plate xiv. FALCONIDj^. 



175. cineraceus, 17 in. Montagu's Harrier. Greyish above, whitish 



below ; outer web of fifth primary without a notch ; 



inner web of outer tail feathers barred white and 



brown. 

 174. cyaneus, 18 in. Hen Harrier. Greyish above, whitish below ; 



outer web of fifth primary with a notch ; head 



greyish, streaked with brown ; wings brown and 



whitish ; throat grey. 

 173. cEruginosus, 22 in. Marsh Harrier. Brownish above, whitish 



below ; outer web of fifth primary with a notch ; 



head buff ; wings brown and grey ; throat buff. 

 Montagu's Harrier — Dimensions, Oa ; Eggs, Km — is a rarer resident than formerly. His 

 white breast feathers have a narrow central streak of chestnut. He flies lightly and grace- 

 fully, darting with his wings half closed, sailing in widening circles with them outspread, and 

 turning with one wing higher than the other, as if to help his tail in steering. Like all the 

 Harriers, he chiefly feeds on reptiles. The female is brown above, not grey, and the tail 

 feathers are brown, with broad grey and buff bars and pale tips. She is rather larger than 

 the male. The nest is always onthe ground, made of heather twigs, and lined with grass ; 

 and the eggs are from four to six in number. 



The Hen Harrier — Dimensions, Oo ; Eggs, Lq— is larger, but shorter in the wing-spread, 

 than Montagu's bird. Like it^ it is resident, but rare. Its flight is lower, and the whitish 

 rump is unmistakable, as the bird flaps leisurely along, somewhat like a heron, hovering with 

 its tail half spread, swaying from side to side, and now and then giving its tail a twist in the 

 manner of the Kite, to steer in a wide circle. The female is rather larger than the male, and 

 is brown above, with white streaks on the nape ; the ruff being very distinct, and the tail 

 being very much like that of Montagu's Harrier. The nest is alwa>rs on the ground, and 

 when in a reed bed, or other wet place, it is of considerable size ; it is made of sticks and 

 heather, wool, and dry grass, and contains four, five, or six eggs. 



The Marsh Harrier — Dimensions, Qg; Eggs, Nl — has almost disappeared from this 

 country. It varies very much in plumage. The flight is very low and spiritless, the bird 

 just skimming the tree-tops in a leisurely Taboured way, as if not caring to exert himself more 

 than necessary. His note is a sort of '* pitz-pitz." His eyes are yellow ; those of his mate 

 are hazel. The female is larger than the male, and has a white edge on the shoulders of thi 

 wings. She is brown below, and has a brown tail, while the male's tail is ashy grey. Tha 

 nest is sometimes in the lowest branch of a tree overhanging a marsh, but more usually on a 

 clump of sedge, or in a reed patch on the ground ; it is a large structure of reeds and grass 

 and dry flags, and contains three or four eggs. As in the other two Harriers, the powder 

 down tracts extend up to the shoulders in this species. The Harriers, owing to their ruff, are 

 the most owlish-looking of the Falconidse. 



Clangula. Plate xxii. ANATIDM, 



250. albeola, 15 in. BuFFEL-HEADED DuCK. White patch on nape 



forming an erectile crest. 

 249. glaucion, 18 in. GOLDENEYE. White spot at base of bill ; wing 

 speculum white ; remiges 26. 

 The Bufftfl-headed Duck — Dimensions, Mb ; Eggs, Mr — is a North American which very 



