him many curious particulars as to the habits of the Ash-coloured Harriers, “their action in choosing a nest
the male selecting a spot, the female approving or disapproving of it as she thought fit; of the male coming
to feed the female, and of her sometimes going to meet him, turning on her back and catching the prey he
brought her, which, however, was occasionally dropt on the nest ; of the youn: peeking one of their fellows
to down when bloody ; of the habits of the old birds, their cries, and the like.” It is phn that Mr.
Newton should not have published these particulars 7 extenso, but contented himself a alluding to them
in the above cursory manner, as their perusal could not have been otherwise than interesting.

The nest is placed upon the ground, generally among furze, and the eggs are penally four, but sometimes
five, in number; they are of a bluish white, one inch and seven lines in length by one inch and four lines in
breadth; they are laid in May, and, according to the Rev. L. Jenyns, the young are hatched out about the
second week s June. The Rev. John Daubuz tells me that a nest taken on his estate at Killion, in Cornwall,

 

in 1862, was composed chiefly of dried grasses, placed on the ground among furze oc heath, and contained
four white eggs. Mr. Alfred Newton informed Mr. Hewitson that “ the Hanniets: like the Owls, the
Eagles, and probably all the Hawk tribe, begin to sit as soon as the first egg is laid; and as it is
most likely that there is an interval of some days between the production of the eggs, the young are
of very different ages, and therefore much more easily supplied with food.”

The late Mr. Yarrell was of opinion that, as the name given to this species by Montagu had by mis-
take or an error of the press been spelt in three different ways, it would be an advantage, as well as
a gratification, to designate the bird in future by the specific name of Montagui, assigned to it by
Vieillot ; but this the law of priority forbids ; and we must therefore adopt that of cineraceus, applied to
it by Montagu, who, as the first discriminator of the species, would naturally have wished the name he
proposed to be retained for it. And here let me say a word in praise of a departed ornithologist,
whose writings must always be regarded with interest. Colonel Montagu was a true lover of nature, who
employed his discriminating faculties to a good and useful purpose, and in no instance more effectually
than when he pointed out the distinctions between the present bird and the Hen Harrier, except perhaps
when he so clearly described the changes of plumage which take place in the latter bird. Nor are the details
of the measures he took to ascertain whether or not the Hen Harrier and Ringtail were sexes of the same
species less interesting ; these I shall quote to show how painstaking was this worthy country-gentleman
and gallant soldier, and because they are equally descriptive of the changes which take place in the present
species.

‘‘T undertook,” says Montagu, ‘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 in fact 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 distinguished 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 new feathers in the place
of those which had been plucked out, that clearly proved the smaller bird to be a Hen Harrier, and the larger
a Ringtail. Thus I had compelled nature to disclose her secrets before the appointed 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. About the 20th of July the male had 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 desirable to be retained as an existing -
proof of the change. It was then killed, and placed in my museum.

“From the account here given it is quite clear that the change of plumage is affected in the autumn of
the year after the bird leaves the nest, and not in the same year.”

The Plate represents an adult male, of the natural size, and a reduced figure of a female, or a young male,
in the distance. The quadruped under the foot of the male is the common mole, Zalpa europea.