MONTAGU'S HARRIER. 101 
shot in the act of feeding the young with a half-grown Partridge. Black varieties 
of Montagu’s Harrier, chiefly of the male bird, are far from uncommon, and have 
been obtained in Norfolk, in South Devon, in Dorset, and in Hants. Montagu’s 
Harrier, is very rare in Ireland, only three occurrences having been recorded. 
The eggs are from four to six in number, are bluish-white, sometimes with 
a few rusty spots; they measure 1°7 inches by 1°3 inches. The hen begins to 
sit directly the first egg is laid, and while she is sitting she is fed by the cock, 
and flies from the nest to meet him, catching the food he drops her in the air. 
The range of Montagu’s Harrier extends over the central countries of Europe 
and Asia; large flocks have been noticed assembling at the time of migration in 
the autumn in the south of France. In the winter it goes so far south as the 
Cape in Africa, but numbers winter throughout that continent in Algeria, Egypt, 
Abyssinia, etc. 
The adult male is ashy-blue on the head, neck, back, and upper wing-coverts, 
but is of a darker colour on the back than the male Hen-Harrier; the upper 
tail-coverts are white at the base, bluish-ash towards the tip; the tail is like the 
back, except the two outer rectrices on either side which are paler, and barred 
with pale ferruginous; the two next barred with darker grey, tinged with reddish; 
primaries black; secondaries short, coloured like the back, with two hidden and 
one conspicuous blackish bars; under parts below the breast greyish-white, striped 
with chestnut red; bill blackish horn; cere, irides, and legs yellow. 
The adult female is of a warm brown, varied with light rusty rufous on the 
upper parts; under parts warm pale ochreous, striped with rusty brown; upper 
tail-coverts white, striped and blotched at the tip with rufous; central rectrices 
greyish-brown, barred with blackish-brown; outer rectrices white or greyish-white 
tinged with rufous and barred with dark reddish brown. 
Length of male 17 inches; of female 19 inches. 
The young are chocolate-brown above, and rufous-ochreous on the under parts. 
Howard Saunders states that in any stage of plumage Montagu’s Harrier may be 
distinguished from the Hen Harrier by the outer web of its fifth primary having 
no notch or emargination. 
