THE HEN-HARRIER. 155 



Description. — Adult male. Winter and summer. — Whole upper- 

 parts ashy-grey as in Montagu's Harrier but usually paler and 

 purer grey ; feathers of back of crown to nape with white bases 

 and often with brown or brownish edgings ; upper tail-coverts 

 pure white ; feathers of lores with black bristle-like tips and white 

 tufts at base ; round eye hoary ; (feathers behind and under ear- 

 coverts and extending across chin short and slightly curled forming 

 a more distinct facial ruff than in Marsh- or Montagu's Harrier) ; 

 sides of neck, throat and upper-breast (not extending so far as in 

 Montagu's) pale ashy-grey ; rest of under-parts, axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts pure white often with a few grey feathers or 

 indications of incomplete grey bars on flanks and axillaries ; tail- 

 feathers tipped white, central pair ash-grey, mottled white at 

 extreme base, next two pairs with narrow dark grey incomplete 

 bars and inner webs white on basal halves, outer feathers with 

 more white extending to outer webs, especially on outermost pair 

 and bars darker. (N.B. — Amount of white and amount of barring 

 varies greatly individually.) Outer five primaries with about 

 basal third white, distal portion black with ash-grey tips and more 

 or less tinged grey on outer webs, especially of 1st, 6th with some 

 grey in middle of inner web and white extending farther, rest of 

 primaries and secondaries grey with blackish shafts but inner webs 

 white on inner edges almost to tip but with brownish penultimate 

 patch ; all wing-coverts ashy-grey. This plumage is acquired by 

 complete moult apparently as in Marsh- and Montagu's Harriers 

 at no regular period. 



Adult female. Winter 

 and summer. — C r o w n 

 and upper-parts as adult 

 female C. pygargus but 

 buff spots on scapulars 

 larger and more promi- 

 nent ; upper tail-coverts 

 white usually with nar- 

 row brown or rufous 

 shaft-marks; under- 

 parts also as in adult 

 female C. pygargus but 

 streaks usually broader ,„,„'' ,_. . _, 



, t „ J » . , ■ Elie Hen-Harrier (Circus e. yaneus). Female 



and less rutous ; racial snowing facial ruff, 



ruff more distinct and 



much more complete, extending across chin as in male but still 

 more distinct ; axillaries and under wing-coverts browner and less 

 rufous than in C. pygargus ; central tail-feathers grey-brown, 

 usually with considerable amount of grey tinge on basal half, 

 widely barred black-brown and with wide penultimate bar much 

 as in C. pygargus but rest of feathers barred buff to rufous-buff 

 not so pale or rufous as in C. pygargus, and some inner ones often 



