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head, nearly like that seen in owls, and accordingly many systematists consider that the genus Circus, though undoubtedly belonging to the Falconidae, connects that See also:

FAMILY

family with the Striges. No osteological See also:

affinity, however, can be established between the harriers and any See also:

section of the owls, and the superficial resemblance will have to be explained in some other way. Harriers are found almost all over the See also:

WORLD

world,l and ' The See also:

DISTRIBUTION (Lat. distribuere, to deal out)

distribution of the different species is rather curious. while the range of some is exceedingly wide,—one, C. maillardi, seems to be limited to the See also:

ISLAND (O.E. ieg =isle, +land')

island of See also:

REUNION

Reunion (See also:

Bourbon).fifteen species are recognized by See also:

BOWDLER

Bowdler See also:

SHARPE, DANIEL (18o6-1856)

Sharpe (See also:

Cat. Birds Brit. Museum, i. pp. 50-73). In most if not all the harriers the sexes differ greatly in See also:

COLOUR (Lat. color, connected with celare, to hide, the root meaning, therefore, being that of a covering)

colour, so much so that for a long while the See also:

MALES

males and See also:

FEMALES

females of one of the commonest and best known, the C. cyaneus above mentioned, were thought to be distinct species, and were or still are called in various European See also:

LANGUAGES

languages by different names.

The See also:

ERROR (Lat. error, from errare, to wander, to err)

error was maintained with the greater persistency since the See also:

young males, far more abundant than the adults, See also:

WEAR

wear much the same plumage as their See also:

MOTHER

mother, and it was not until after See also:

Montagu's observations were published at the Hen-Harrier (Male and See also:

FEMALE

Female), beginning of the 19th See also:

CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century that the " ringtail," as she was called (the Falco pygargus of Linnaeus), was generally admitted to be the female of the " hen-harrier." But this was not Montagu's only See also:

GOOD, JOHN MASON (1764-1827)

good service as regards this genus. He proved the hitherto unexpected existence of a second species,2 subject to the same diversity of plumage. This was called by him the ash-coloured See also:

falcon, but it now generally bears his name, and is known as I\/Iontagu's harrier, C. cineraceus. In habits it is very similar to the hen-harrier, but it has longer wings, and its range is not so northerly, for while the hen-harrier extends to See also:

LAPLAND, or LAPPLAND

Lapland, Montagu's is but very rare in See also:

Scotland, though in the See also:

south of England it is the most See also:

COMMON

common species. Harriers indeed in the British Islands are rapidly becoming things of the past. Their nests are easily found, and the birds when nesting are easily destroyed. In the south-See also:

east of See also:

EUROPE

Europe, reaching also to the Cape of Good See also:

Hope and to See also:

India, there is a See also:

FOURTH

fourth species, the C. swainsoni of some writers, the C. pallidus of others. In See also:

North See also:

AMERICA

America C. cyaneus is represented by a kindred form, C. hudsonius, usually regarded as a good species, the adult male of which is always to be recognized by its rufous markings beneath, in which See also:

CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character it rather resembles C. cineraceus, but it has not the long wings of that species. South America has in C. cinereus another representative form, while See also:

CHINA

China, India and See also:

AUSTRALIA

Australia possess more of this type. Thus there is a section in which the males have a strongly contrasted See also:

black and See also:

grey plumage, and finally there is a See also:

GROUP

group of larger forms allied to the European C. aeruginosus, wherein a grey See also:

DRESS (from the Fr. dresser, to set out, arrange, formed from Lat. directus, arranged, dirigere, to direct, arrange)

dress is less often attained, of which the South See also:

AFRICAN

African C. ranivorus and the New See also:

ZEALAND (also SEALAND Or SEELAND; Danish Sjaelland)

Zealand C. gouldi are examples. (A. N.) .

End of Article: HARRIER

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