BIRDS OF MINNESOTA. 209 



denly down into its grassy covert again. Occasionally a 

 favored locality will harbor several of them in the tangled 

 grass during the day, to gather a harvest of small water-birds 

 during the night, as indicated by the feathers in the morning. 

 They tear open the breast and eat only that portion, leaving 

 the remainder to tell the tale of their distinctive habits. They 

 commence flying soon after sunset, and put in their best work 

 in hunting before the twilight has disappeared, but if not 

 eminently successful during that time, will work still far into 

 the night, as is shown by the shallaboo amongst the terns and 

 snipe. 



Sticks, reeds, grass and feathers comprise the materials of 

 their nests, which are placed on the ground generally, but are 

 sometimes found in forsaken burroughs. Four white eggs are 

 laid in May. Whether they rear more than a single brood I 

 cannot tell, but the young are seen occasionally late enough to 

 make it highly probable that they do. 



It is only occasionally taken, and then usually by hunters 

 who have little interest in ornithology. However it gets into 

 the hands of the taxidermist often enough to prove it fairly 

 common in most parts of the State. Mr. Laurie found it at 

 Duluth and Mr. Lewis at Red lake. Mr. Washburn does not 

 mention this species in either of his reports from Mille Lacs 

 and the Red river valley. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. 



Ear tufts very short; entire plumage buff or pale fulvous; 

 every feather on the upper parts with a wide longitudinal 

 stripe of dark brown, which color predominates on the back; 

 under parts paler, frequently nearly white on the abdomen, 

 with longitudinal stripes of brownish-black most numerous 

 on the breast, very narrow and less numerous on the abdomen 

 and flanks; legs and toes usually of a deeper shade of the 

 same color as the abdomen; quills pale reddish fulvous, at 

 their bases, brown at their ends with wide, irregular bands and 

 large spots of reddish fulvous; tail pale reddish fulvous, 

 with about five irregular transverse bands of dark-brown, 

 which color predominates on the two central feathers; under 

 tail coverts usually nearly white; throat white; eyes enclosed 

 by large spots of brownish-black; eartufts brown, edged with 

 fulvous; bill and claws dark; irides yellow. 



Length (female), 15; wing, 12; tail, 6. 



Habitat, North America. 



