6722 



Birds. 



Montagu's Harrier (Falco cinevaceus). — All the specimens of this harrier which I 

 have examined, from time to time, have exhibited, more or less, a variation in 

 plumage, which the difference of age and sex suggested. A variety came under my 

 notice yesterday which was remarkable. It proved on dissection to be a strongly- 

 developed old male bird in very fine condition, and weighed in the flesh 10£ oz. 

 In the crop were portions of a hare with the fur, &c, — a fact which rather 

 corroborates than otherwise the adult character of the bird, as the bird of the year 

 would probably hardly attack so strong and large a prey. The whole of the plumage, 

 both above and below, was of an uniform deep chocolate-brown, the only variation 

 being that the basal portion of the tail was paler, the transverse bars just showing 

 themselves, and the under surface of the wings the same, with four or five obscure 

 bars ; the occiput had a slight broken patch of rufous ; the facial disk was scarcely 

 visible, and the head and face had no paler markings whatever to disturb the uni- 

 formity of the umber-brown ; nor in fact was there the slightest variation in this tone 

 of colour anywhere except where I have alluded to. Any one might remark at a short 

 distance that it looked like a diminutive young marsh harrier, which we all know is a 

 very brown bird ; but the dimensions and inferior size of the bird, with the prominent 

 length of the third quill-feather and the general contour of the bird, leave no doubt as 

 to the species. In the adult male Montagu's harrier, independently of the pale 

 rufous longitudinal streaks on the belly and the under surface of the wings, there is a 

 remarkable black diagonal bar across the upper and under surface of the wing ; but 

 all these peculiarities of the species in colour are of course not distinguishable in the 

 present example, from the uniformity of the tone of colouring throughout. I may 

 remark that in the young of this species, both male and female, there is more or 

 less white or pale yellow about the region of the eyes ; and although the plumage on 

 the back and belly is brown, yet that on the whole of the under parts is of so light a 

 character as to deserve the appellation of bright bay. In the marsh harrier the wings 

 and tail are also long, but the bird is much larger and more robust, without that slim- 

 ness peculiar to the appearance of Montagu's harrier. The third and fourth quill- 

 feathers, too, of the marsh harrier are of equal length. — Edward Hearle Rodd ; 

 Penzance, September 5, 1859. 



Friendly Alliance between Blackbird and Thrush. — Early in the spring of 1853 a 

 dead thrush was found which appeared to have died from '* natural causes ;" and the 

 next morning a nest was discovered which had three eggs. This nest was in a laurel, 

 about four feet from the ground (the dead bird was supposed to be a hen). In the 

 afternoon of that day a thrush was seen sitting on the nest. This bird was never 

 seen off the nest for more than a fortnight. There was plenty of proof under the 

 laurel that the nest had been very rarely left, and during the time that this thrush 

 was so closely engaged a cock blackbird fed it very often. The hen blackbird was 

 never seen near the nest. When the young thrushes were about a week old the 

 cock thrush began to sing again, for no note of a thrush had been heard for more 

 than three weeks, and even now beseemed to say, " I am too busy to sing a long song 

 at a time." When the young ones flew the widower found another male, and reared 

 two more broods in the same garden that spring. After the kind attentions of the 

 blackbird to his bereaved acquaintance were no longer needed, old feelings seemed 

 revived, for whenever the two met on the grass the thrush invariably gave way. The 

 blackbirds had lost so much time by these gentlemanly and Christian-like atten- 

 tions that they were in a muddle the whole spring. For their first brood they took 



