THE YOUNG NATURA.LIST. 



119 



neck, and throat light bluish grey or ash 

 coloured ; back, wings (except primaries) 

 and two central tail feathers, a darker shade 

 of the same colour ; primaries nearly black. 

 The secondary wing feathers have each two 

 black bars with indications of a third, but 

 only the outer bar shows, the others being 

 concealed by the wing coverts. The tail 

 has the two outer feathers white, with four 

 chestnut bars and an ash coloured one near 

 the tip ; the next feather is barred in the 

 same way, but less on the outer web, which 

 is mainly ashy grey ; the next two are ashy 

 grey, with blackish bars on the inner webs 

 only ; and the two central ones are entirely 

 ashy grey. The under parts are white, the 

 feathers on the sides and belly with a central 

 streak of chestnut brown. 



Female. — Bill, eyes, and legs same as the 

 male. Upper parts dark brown, the feathers 

 on the nape margined with lighter colour. 

 A pale streak over the eye and a broader 

 one of the same colour below it. Ear coverts 

 brown. Under parts yellowish white, each 

 feather with a central chestnut streak. 

 Tail, outer feathers white with four brown- 

 ish bars, each feather darker until the centre 

 ones are dull brown barred with darker. 

 Tail coverts white. 



Immature birds vary very much in colour. 

 Mr. Bond has had two full-grown females 

 from the fens with the whole plumage much 

 darker than usual, every feather in the back 

 margined with rich rufus ; the whole of the 

 under parts, neck and throat rich reddish 

 buff colour. The males begin life in a garb 

 somewhat similar to the females. In all 

 stages this species may be distinguished 

 from the last by the greater length of wing, 

 which reaches nearly or quite to the end of the 

 tail, while in the Hen Harrier they do not 

 reach the end of the tail within two or three 

 inches. 



Young.— The young in down are white 

 tinged with ash colour. 



A VARIETY of an uniform sooty black some- 

 times occurs, and does not seem very rare. 

 One is recorded by Hancock, in his " Birds 

 of Northumberland and Durham." Mr. 

 Stevenson records specimens from Norfolk, 

 Kent, and Sussex; and one is recorded in 

 the " Zoologist," which, in addition, had 

 the nape marked with white. 



Note. — Mr. H, Saunders, in his notice 

 of the nest he found in the Isle of Wight, 

 in 1875, says the female made a noise some- 

 thing like the Kestrel, when driving rooks 

 from the neighbourhood of her nest. 



Flight, — The flight of this species is 

 said to be very similar to that of the Hen 

 Harrier, but may be distinguished by the 

 greater length of wings and tail. 



Migration. — it is recorded as migra- 

 tory in India and Africa, and probably was 

 so in this country also,|as it was seldom seen 

 later than October. 



Food. — The food consists of insects, 

 reptiles, field mice, small birds and their 

 eggs. 



Habitat — This species was but a few 

 years ago the commonest Harrier in the 

 Fens, and is recorded from both North and 

 South, probably also from Ireland, It has 

 been known to breed in several parts of both 

 England and Scotland. 



Abroad it is found over the greater part 

 of Southern Europe, and I have seen 

 specimens from India. 



Nest. — The nest is placed very near or 

 quite upon the ground, generally near or in 

 some large tuft of carex or brushwood, and 

 is composed very loosely of small sticks, 

 ling, coarse grass, &c., with softer material 

 and sometimes a little wool for the lining. 



Eggs. — The eggs are laid early, some- 

 times before the end of March, They vary in 

 number from four to six, and are white with 

 a faint tinge of blue, and occasionally spotted 

 with dark chocolate brown. 



