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 
