THE MARSH-HARRIER. 147 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Whole crown 

 and nape cream-buff to rufous-buff streaked varying width dark 

 brown to blackish ; mantle, scapulars and back dark brown to 

 blackish, feathers with varying amount of narrow rufous edging ; 

 upper tail-coverts tipped rufous and brown, varying and with 

 creamy-white, whitish or ashy-grey bases ; feathers of lores with 

 black bristle-like tips and creamy tufts at base ; ear-coverts pale 

 buff marked varying amount of brown and rufous ; feathers below 

 ear-coverts streaked dark brown with creamy edgings, short and 

 slightly curled forming an ill-defined ruff ; chin creamy-buff finely 

 streaked dark brown ; throat and breast buff to rufous -buff with 

 brown streaks varying greatly in width ; rest of under-parts 

 chestnut, feathers with varying amount of rufous-buff to buff 

 edges ; axillaries rufous-buff with brown shaft-streaks varying in 

 width ; under wing-coverts same but usually paler (often creamy- 

 white) and less streaked ; tail-feathers dull silver-grey with brownish 

 tinge (in tail and wing-feathers rami are brown with ashy-white 

 distal radii which are mostly lost in worn plumage, making feathers 

 browner) inner edges of inner webs of all except central pair whitish 

 to rufous-buff, tips whitish ; outer five primaries with distal halves 

 black but outer webs and tips more or less tinged grey, proximal 

 half of inner webs white to bufiish-white slightly marked dark 

 brown, rest of primaries becoming more silvery-grey on outer webs 

 and distal portion of inner webs with a few dark spots ; secondaries 

 still more silvery-grey except three or four innermost which are 

 brown ; primary-coverts silvery-grey ; outer greater coverts same 

 but inner brown to dark brown ; median coverts dark brown with 

 varying amount of rufous on tips and edges, outer feathers usually 

 with some silvery-grey ; lesser coverts and innermost median buff 

 to pale buff, streaked dark brown much as crown and forming a 

 buff line down inner edge of wing. N.B. — In worn plumage buff 

 becomes whiter but much of pale edging on upper-parts is worn 

 off, tail and wings become browner. This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult but there seems no regular period as specimens 

 in moult in every month have been examined. 



Adult female. Winter and summer. — Like adult male but 

 crown and nape usually more uniform and less streaked (rarely 

 broadly streaked) ; feathers of centre of mantle broadly edged 

 cream to rufous-buff ; chin and throat creamy-buff often without 

 dark brown streaks ; lower throat and breast dark chestnut- 

 brown, feathers broadly edged cream-buff to rufous-buff and often 

 a patch on upper-breast with very little dark brown (not streaked 

 as in adult male) ; rest of under-parts uniform dark chestnut- 

 brown ; axillaries and under wing-coverts darker than in adult 

 male ; tail-feathers dark brown with varying amount of silver-grey, 

 occasionally almost as much as in adult male on central pair and 

 outer webs of rest; but usually less and often scarcely noticeable 

 especially in worn plumage, inner webs (except of central pair) 



VOL. II. L 2 



