Norwich Castle Museum. 51 
specimen of JZficrastur amaurus (Gurney), from 
Panama. Geranospizias gracilis and G. nivra are 
also very handsome and noteworthy species from 
South America. 
Case XLI. 
introduces us to the last group of the diurnal birds of 
prey known as the Harriers. These birds have a 
distinct facial disk resembling that so noticeable in 
the Owls, and are therefore regarded by some 
systematists as a connecting link between the Hawks 
and the Owls. ‘There is, however, no alliance 
osteologically between them. ‘The single genus 
Circus contains, according to Mr. Gurney, eighteen 
species and one sub-species, all but three of which 
are in the Museum collection. They have a very 
wide geographical distribution, the range of some, as 
pointed out by Professor Newton in the Diuctonary 
of Birds, being exceedingly wide, whilst that of 
others is very limited. ‘Three species were formerly 
numerous in some parts of Britain, but their numbers 
have greatly decreased. In suitable localities in the 
County of Norfolk at the beginning of this century 
they were found in considerable numbers ; but at the 
present day, from various causes, they are, especially 
the Hen Harrier, very rare birds. The collection 
contains a large series of Hen Harriers (C. cyaneus) 
from very various localities,—Persia, East Siberia, 
Himalaya, Nepal, Oudh, and Japan. Five adult 
males in a case by themselves in the British collection 
were killed many years ago in Cambridgeshire. 
The nearly-allied species, C. Audsonius, from North 
America, is also represented by numerous specimens 
in all stages of plumage, also eggs collected by Mr. 
D. L. Thorpe. C. macrurus, Swainson’s Harrier, a 
widely-distributed species, is equally well represented 
