260 THE HEN HARRIER. 
thrown loosely together, in which are deposited four or five very pale. blue 
eggs. The young are hatched about the middle of June. 
The two sexes differ very greatly in colour, and until comparatively recent 
times were recorded as distinct species. The general colour of the adult 
_se oo 
HEN HARRIER.—(Circus cyaneus.) 
male is ashen grey from the beak and upper parts, the only exception being 
the primaries, which are black. The throat and chin are nearly of the same 
hue as the beak, but the chest and abdomen are white, with a slight blue 
tinge, which is lost upon the plumage of the thigh. On the under surface 
of the tail are several indistinct dark bars, and the hair-like feathers 
