suitable localities near the sea ; as the season advances 

 these birds continue their journey, generally singly or 

 in pairs, up the valley of the Guadalquivir and nest 

 abundantly in the great marshes and corn-lands below 

 Seville. On one occasion, when posted in a pit in the open 

 " marisma" for Great Bustard shooting, I noticed at least 

 seventy of the present species passing steadily to the 

 northward, evidently on migration, within shot of me, 

 besides many at various greater distances ; these birds, 

 without exception, flew within a few feet of the ground, 

 without pausing to hunt or reconnoitre the territory, 

 and were, in my opinion, all bound for some special 

 breeding-places already determined upon in what I must 

 call their minds. This was the only instance in which 

 I ever witnessed a numerous " passage " of these 

 Harriers, but I have several times observed one or two 

 crossing the open sea. Once established in their 

 nesting-quarters, these birds are constantly to be seen 

 scouring the country in all directions, now and then 

 hovering for a few moments, and occasionally alighting 

 to devour or to pick up some prey. They are easily 

 attracted by an imitation of the call of the Quail, and 

 no doubt catch many of those birds upon the ground ; 

 but I do not remember ever to have seen one of these 

 Harriers in pursuit of any flying fowl, and I know that 

 in Andalucia their diet consists chiefly of frogs, lizards, 

 various insects, worms, small rodents, and the eggs of 

 ground-breeding birds. Colonel Irby, in his ' Orni- 

 thology of the Straits of Gibraltar,' mentions that he 

 found a regular "colony" of this species breeding on a salt 

 marsh in Morocco, and I am assured of such cases in 



