BIRDS 183 



assured me that, when he was young, both the Hen Harrier and 

 the Marsh Harrier nested in the Bewcastle country. An old 

 keeper named Davidson, who had an intimate knowledge of 

 Harriers, informed Mr. Tremble that he had come across a few 

 Harriers in Bewcastle, say in the ' forties ' ; but that the best 

 place to find a Harrier's nest was Solway flow. This is fully 

 borne out by the fact that eggs in the possession of Mr. E. 

 Taylor were taken from Solway flow only a few years prior 

 to 1885. The only other eggs of this species still existing, and 

 known to have been taken in the Lakeland district, belong to 

 Mr. Edward Bidwell, and were taken at Newlands. But 

 though ' gone ' from our midst as a breeding species, and totally 

 unknown to most local residents, an odd bird still appears 

 occasionally in Lakeland on migration. I examined an adult 

 female poisoned in the north of Westmorland as lately as April 

 1891. I had previously obtained from James Smith a fine pair 

 of Hen Harriers, killed in the early part of 1886 in the neigh- 

 bourhood of the English Solway. They had constantly 

 quartered Weddholm and Bowness flows, feeding on Grouse and 

 other birds. They were adult, and had appeared in the same 

 locality in previous winters, but had never remained to breed. 

 Smith noticed the spot in which they roosted in tall heather, 

 and after watching them for several weeks, killed one, and then 

 the other. In December 1888, a blue Hen Harrier made its 

 appearance on Glasson flow. Smith desired to kill it, but 

 spared it at my desire. It remained a few weeks, but then 

 departed, and has never since returned to the same ground. 

 Mr. Murray showed me a fine Hen Harrier in female dress, 

 killed only a few years since, near Carnforth. Another female 

 was trapped in Westward parish in January 1892. A fine old 

 male in full blue dress was killed at Greystoke a few years 

 since. 



MONTAGU'S HARRIER. 



Circus cineraceus (Mont.). 



In Lakeland this species has always been the rarest of the 

 Harriers. Mr. Hodgkinson recollects identifying a bird of this 

 species killed near Carlisle prior to 1840, and his decision was 



