494 



THE MAKSII HAW K. 



It is no achievement to assassinate one from licliind tlie cover of a convenient 

 liaycock, or ex'cn to arrest its easy Ili.Ljlil in an npcn I'n-lil. Tlu- liilers of tlie 

 soil have done nntliing more foohsh or ninre |)reiu<licial tn their "\y\\ interests 

 tlian to allow and enconrai^e the slanj^htei' of tliis innnccnl and hi^liK' useful 

 meniher of the agrarian police. A farmer would lia\e as just cause to be 

 indignant at some 

 interloper w h n 

 shoots a Marsh 

 H a \v k on his 

 premises, as at an- 

 other who tram- 

 ples d o w n his 

 \\'heat or breaks 

 n]i his gopher 

 traps, (jiven ade- 

 quate protection 

 to llie Mars h 

 Hawk, the Swain- 

 son, and the Red- 

 tailed Hawks, and 

 t li e Enrn )wing 

 Owl. the "s(|uir- 

 rel" p r ij li 1 e ni 

 would no longer 

 trouble the Pa- 

 lonse farmer. 



As the breeding 

 season ai>])roach- 

 • es. the male 1 lar- 

 rier. feeling the 

 impulse of the en- 

 nobling passion, 

 mounts aloft and 



performs .some astonishing aerial e\'olutions for the delectation of his mate. 

 He soars about at a great hei.ght. screaming like a Falcon: or he suddenly 

 lets go and comes tumblitig out of s])ace head o\er heels. onl_\' tn pull up at a 

 safe distance from the ground and listen to the admiring shrieks of his spouse. 

 "At other limes," sa\'s ]Mr. Ernest E. Thompson, "he flies across the marsh in 

 a course which wnuld outline a gigantic saw. each of the descending parts 

 done in a somersault, and accompanied liy the screeching notes, which form tlie 

 otih' lo\'e song within the range of his limited \dcal ])owers." This o]iera- 

 lioii is not necessar\- in order to win his mate, for he is supposed to haxu won 





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Mv, 



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MARsn n.\WK. 



