C ir c u s èerugino.sus (L u u v ).
MAJISn-IIARR] E R v
MAESH-HAEEIEE.
CIRCUS sERUGINOSUS (Linn.).
Falco seruginosus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 130 (1766).
Falco rufus, Naum. i. p. 378.
Circus seruginosus, Macg. iii. p. 382; Yarr. ed. 4, i. p. 127;
Dresser, v. p. 415.
Circus rufus, Hewitson, i. p. 44.
Busard des marais, French; Rohr-Weihe, German; Agui-
lucho, Rapina, Spanish.
This bird, which was formerly common and resident
in most of the extensive fens and marshes of England
and Ireland, is now comparatively seldom to be met
with, owing, of course, to the reclamation of many of
its ancient strongholds, and the sedulous attentions of
gamekeepers and bird-collectors. It is still abundant in
almost all the great marshes of Central and Southern
Europe. I have seen twenty-six on wing together in
Epirus, and in the lower marisma of the Guadalquivir
more or less of this species are constantly to be seen
searching for prey along the reeds that fringe the river,
or skimming low over the vast muddy plains that extend
to the horizon. The plumage depicted in the first of
the two accompanying Plates is that of a very old male