3 1 8 Remarks an Palco cyatieus and pygarguS, 



birds, previously to his bearing away what was considered a 

 prize of no smail value. 



On the return of the man with the young, he brought with 

 him also the Hen Harrier, which he assured us he had, under 

 concealment in the furze, shot in the act of dropping a thrush 

 into the nest, while the female (as he seemed to consider the 

 other, and which he described to be a brown hawk) was co- 

 vering the young. He afterwards, shot at and wounded the 

 female, but could not obtain it. 



Strong as this person's evidence was in our own minds, 

 yet it conveyed no more to the public mind than what -had 

 been so repeatedly asserted on similar authority : being, 

 however, in possession of the aerie, the means were in our 

 power of fully determining the point in question j aud to 

 enable me to observe and note the changes that might take 

 place in the plumage, I undertook the care of the whole 

 brood. 



At this time the two largest had thrown out many feathers, 

 sufficient to discover the plumage of the Ringtail approach- 

 ing ; the other, by its appearance, must have been hatched 

 much later. In about a month it was evident from size, 

 that there was but one male,, so that all my hopes rested upon 

 this single life. As they became full feathered, there was at 

 first no distinction in plumage, but the eyes of the supposed 

 male were always lighter than in the others, whose irides 

 were bo dark as not to be distinguished at a small distance 

 from the pupil. In the dress of the Ringtail the whole con- 

 tinued through the winter, when the one which had been 

 weakly from the first, died : this circumstance induced me 

 to force a premature change in some of the quill and tail 

 feathers of the others, fearing some accident might frustrate 

 jny earnest desire of bringing matters to a decisive proof j 

 and about the middle of Ju ..* I was highly gratified by dis- 

 covering an appearance of the new feathers in the place of 

 those which had been plucked out, and that clearly evinced 

 the smallest bird to be a Hen Harrier, and the larger to be a 

 Ringtail. 



Thus I had compelled nature to declare her secrets before 

 the appointed time j for in every other respeei their plumage. ' 



was 



