HEN-HARRIER. 249 



throughout. On the other side of the question, the Doctor says, that 

 both males and females have been shot from their nests in the north ; 

 and speaks of it from the authority of Dr. Heysham. 



* The following- observations appear to settle the question beyond all 

 dispute. 



" I undertook," says Montagu, in the Linnsean Transactions, " the 

 care of a brood of three young Hen Harriers found in a nest in a furze 

 bush, and only covered with white down. At this time the two largest 

 had thrown out many feathers, sufficient to discover the plumage of 

 the Ringtail approaching ; the other, by its appearance, must have been 

 hatched much later. In about a month it was evident from the size, 

 that there was but one male, so that all my hopes rested on this single 

 life. As they became full feathered, there was at first no distinction 

 in plumage, but the eyes of the supposed male were always lighter 

 than those of the others, whose irides were so dark as not to be dis- 

 tinguished at a small distance from the pupil. In the dress of the 

 Ringtail, the whole continued through the winter, when the one which 

 had been weakly from the first, died : this circumstance induced me to 

 force a premature change in some of the quill and tail feathers of the 

 others, fearing some accident might frustrate my earnest desire of 

 bringing the matter to a decisive proof ; and, about the middle of June, 

 I was highly gratified by discovering an appearance of the new feathers, 

 in the place of those which had been plucked out, that clearly evinced 

 the smaller bird to be a Hen Harrier, and the larger a Ringtail. 



" Thus I had compelled nature to disclose her secrets before the ap- 

 pointed time ; for in every other respect their plumage was yet similar, 

 excepting about the sides of the face, which were paler in colour in 

 the former ; in which also the irides were of a dull yellow, somewhat 

 mottled, whereas in the latter they still continued dark. 



" The shyness of these hawks had occasioned their breaking most of 

 their larger feathers, although in a place ten feet in length by five in 

 width ; and as their regular moulting season was advancing, they were 

 turned into a garden surrounded by a wall, where, after some time, the 

 female died of the cramp in her legs. 



" The male had, about the 20th of July, thrown out many of the 

 new feathers naturally, especially the greater coverts of the wings, 

 and a few grey feathers in different parts of the body. On the 20th 

 of August, the greater part of the quill and tail-feathers were grown to 

 their full length, and a gradual increase of grey feathers appeared on 

 most other parts : the eyes also became more orange ; but it was not 

 till the middle of October that it had attained that state which made it 



