180 VERTEBRATE FAUNA OF LAKELAND 



again, a few days after, in the evening : at the nest with young 

 ones, the ringtail was upon the nest, and the henharrier soon 

 after appeared. They both flew about me and darted at my 

 head ; and particularly the henharrier came within a few inches 

 of my head, twenty or thirty times, when I was handling the 

 young. — They were both very clamorous and had the same 

 note. On the nest which had seven eggs I found the ringtail, 

 and one young bird was hatched, the henharrier came very 

 soon, and the same scene took place, as I have described, at the 

 other nest. A few nights after, Mr. George Blamire accompanied 

 me. We first went to the nest with young ones : both birds 

 darted at us with great fury ; I desired him to shoot the hen- 

 harrier ; he fired at him, wounded him, but he got away and we 

 never saw him more. We then went to the first nest, the ring- 

 tail was upon it, and there were now six young ones. The hen- 

 harrier did not appear. When the young of the third nest were 

 fit for taking, Mr. Blamire shot the ringtail for me. June the 

 27th, the Rev. Mr. Shaw went with me to the first nest, with 

 six young, they were of considerable size but not feathered : the 

 ringtail was upon the nest, and he shot her immediately : the 

 henharrier did not appear. I left a rat trap near the nest. 

 Next morning, viz. the 28th, I went again and found the trap 

 had not been touched, but there were two birds, viz. a lark and 

 a sparrow, in the nest. While I remained I did not see the 

 henharrier, but as I was certain, from the small birds in the 

 nest, that he had been there since the ringtail was killed : I 

 went again at noon, and found one of the young birds caught by 

 the neck in the trap. The lark and sparrow were gone, and in 

 their place were two yellowhammers. I set the trap and 

 baited it with one of the yellowhammers, and retired into a 

 small plantation of fir trees, about sixty yards from the nest ; 

 I there lay concealed, and in less than five minutes, I both heard 

 and saw the henharrier. He soon went to the nest, fed the 

 young ones with what he had brought, then attempted to seize 

 the yellowhammer in the trap, and was taken by the leg. I 

 sent these birds to Mr. Latham.' Dr. Heysham does not furnish 

 any notes on Harriers for 1784, but in June 1785 he 'had 

 three nests upon Newtown-common, and had frequent oppor- 



