49 
Montagu’s harrier. 
RAPTORES. 
FALCON T DAL 
MONTAGU’S HARRIER. 
Circus cineraceus. 
PLATE XVI. FIG. III. 
For authentic, and, therefore, valuable specimens of 
the eggs of this species, I am indebted to my friend the 
Rev. W. D. Fox. These were procured for him by Mr. 
David Baker of Melbourne, who has an accurate know¬ 
ledge of the birds of the fen-countries, which he stuffs 
for sale; and that there might be no doubt of their 
identity, the old birds were trapped upon the nest. 
Montagu’s Harrier breeds in the fens of Cambridge¬ 
shire, and though at one time more abundant than has 
been supposed, is now becoming extinct, and exceedingly 
difficult to procure. The nest, which is placed upon the 
ground, is more slight than those of the other two har¬ 
riers, and is composed, like them, of flags, sedge and 
rushes. The eggs are usually four or five in number; 
the nest, from which the specimens sent me by Mr. 
Fox were taken, contained six, the only instance of the 
kind which Mr. Baker has ever met with ; they are of 
a clear white, distinctly tinted with light blue, and are 
never, to the best of my information, spotted. Like the 
last species, the time of incubation is early in May. 
Mr. Alfred Newton informs me that the Harriers, like 
the owls, the eagles, and probably all The hawk tribe, 
begin to sit upon the first egg, and as there is also most 
likely an interval of some days between the production 
of each egg, the young are of very different ages, and 
much more easily supplied with food. 
E 
