BIRDS OF PREY. Hawks 



— the bird whose ghostly shape furnishes material for super- 

 natural tales told by the humble onion-growers whose cabins 

 touch the marshes. 



The Snowy Owl is a great mouser and a skilful fisherman, 

 only devouring birds casually. 



Marsh Hawk: Circus hudsonius. 



Harrier, Blue Hawk. 

 Plate 65. 



Length : 17-19 inches ; female averaging two inches longer. 



Male : Above bluish gray ; below white mottled with brown. Wings 

 brownish, long, and pointed ; tail long ; upper tail coverts white. 



Female : Dark reddish brown ; below rusty with spots. Bill hooked 

 and black, longer than the Owl's ; feet black. 



Note : All Hawks have a screaming cry, but it is of little aid in iden- 

 tifying species. 



Season : A common summer resident ; may winter. 



Breeds : Through range. 



Nest : On the ground, one foot in diameter, of grasses, etc. ; in swampy 

 meadows or among rushes in marshes. 



Eggs : 4-5, whitish ; sometimes with irregular blotches of brown and 

 gray shell marks. 



Mange : North America in general, south to Panama. 



The Marsh Hawk is the most harmless and beneficial 

 of its family ; it feeds upon reptiles, locusts, grasshoppers, 

 and small mammals, and never disturbs domestic poultry. 



In this locality it is more plentiful in the bogs near fresh 

 ponds, and in the vicinity of rivers, than in the salt-marshes. 



It is the summer-day Hawk, and the species most fre- 

 quently seen in the warmest months. It flies by night as 

 well as day, however, and is often a companion of the 

 Screech Owl in its nocturnal rambles. 



When on the wing the females and young may be distin- 

 guished by the warm, rusty colour of their under parts, and 

 while at rest by the white upper tail coverts. 



I have seen companies of the females and young every 



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