Young males are brown, like the female to be next described,
but begin to change from the brown colour to the
grey which distinguishes the sex, in their second autumn ;
young males are smaller in size, and have the irides lighter
in colour than those of females at the same age. It is
probable that young males are capable of breeding in their
second year, before they have acquired their grey plumage,
as two brown birds, apparently performing the duties of
parents, have been shot at the same nest.
The female measures about twenty inches in length ; the
bill almost black; the cere greenish yellow, the irides reddish
brown; the top of the head and back of the neck
umber brown ; the feathers of the latter with lighter reddish
brown edges, forming a collar on the neck; over the eye a
light-coloured streak; ear-coverts uniform umber brown;
the circular disk or ruff round the face formed by short
feathers of mixed brown and white colours, passing from
behind the ear on one side round under the chin to the back
of the ear on the other side ; the back and wings uniform
umber brown ; the smaller wing-coverts margined with ferruginous
; wing-primaries blackish brown; upper surface of
the central tail-feathers uniform umber brown; the lateral
tail-feathers dark brown, barred with lighter reddish brown ;
the ends of all the feathers pale ferruginous; the throat,
breast, belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts, reddish buff
colour, each feather having an elongated reddish brown patch
in the centre, with a still darker shaft; those of the thighs
and the under tail-coverts being lighter in colour, and less
decidedly marked than those of the body; under surface of
the middle tail-feathers strongly marked with broad bands of
brownish black and dull white ; the outer feathers on each
side greyish white, with four darker transverse bars; the legs
and toes yellow ; the claws black.
In reference to our Harriers, a notice appears in the Naturalist
for September, page 814, that some difference had
HEN HARRIER. 99
been observed in the relative length of the quill-feathers:
in a female the fourth quill-feather being the longest; in a
male, the third. In the second volume of the Fauna Bore-
ali-Americana, by Mr. Swainson and Dr. Richardson, and
devoted to Birds, the following note occurs at the bottom of
page 90, in reference to the Snowy Owl. “ There is some
variation in the lengths of the quill-feathers in different specimens.
The second, third, and fourth, are obviously longer
than the others in all, the second and fourth being nearly
equal. The first quill-feather is sometimes longer than the
fifth.” These notices are here adverted to in order that the
relative length of the different quill-feathers in the wings,
when referred to in description, or as affording indications of
distinction in species, may not be too much relied upon without
having due regard to the period of the year at which the
birds were killed. In this country particularly, a large proportion
of our cabinet specimens are obtained during autumn,
the gun being then in general use, and during which period
the quill-feathers will frequently be found not to have attained
their ultimate relative proportions.
The vignette represents the head of the Ringtail, as referred
to at page 95.