FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 197 



east of Louisiana. It migrates in flocks, sometimes flying within gun- 

 shot, and at others so far above the earth as to be ahnost beyond the 

 bounds of vision. 



330. Rostrhamus sociabilis ( FieilL). Everglade Kite; Snail- 

 Hawk. Ad. 6- — Dark 'slate-color ; under, and longer upper tail-coverts, and 

 base of the tail white, tip of the tail whitish ; upper mandible much length- 

 ened and hooked, 9 and im. — Upper parts black, tipped with rufous : under 

 parts barred and mottled with rufous, black, and butty; tail as in the Ad. 6. 

 L., 18-00; W., 14-00; T., 7-75; B., 1-20. 



Range. — Breeds from middle Florida southward to the Argentine Eepublic. 



Nest.1 in bushes, among reeds or tall grasses. Eggs., two to three, pale blu- 

 ish white, heavily spotted, blotched, or washed with cinnamon or chocolate, 

 1-85 X 1-47. 



This species is a summer resident in southern Florida. It arrives 

 from the south in February. Mr. W. E. D. Scott writes of it as ob- 

 served at Lake Panasofkee, Florida : " Their food at this point appar- 

 ently consists of a kind of large, fresh-water snail, which is very abun- 

 dant, and the local name of ' Snail- Hawk ' is particularly applicable 

 to this bird as I have met with it. They fish over the shallow water, 

 reminding one of Gulls in their motions ; and having secured a snail 

 by diving, they immediately carry it to the nearest available perch, 

 where the animal is dexterously taken from the shell without injury 

 to the latter'' (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vi, 1881, p. 16). 



' 331. Circus hudsonius (Z//i;i.). Marsh Hawk ; IlAKniER. Ad. $ .— 



Upper parts gray or ashy ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail silvery gray, irregu- 

 larly barred or marked with blackish ; upper breast pearl-gray ; the lower 

 breast and belly white, spotted or barred with rufous. Ad. 9 . — Upper parts 

 fuscous, the head and neck streaked, and the wing-coverts spotted or margined 

 with rufous ; longer upper tail-coverts white • middle tail-feathers barred with 

 ashy and black, others barred with ochraceous-buff and black ; under parts 

 ochraceous-buff, widely streaked on the breast and narrowly streaked on the 

 belly with fuscous or light umber. /«2.— Similar to the 9 , but somewhat 

 darker above; the under parts darker, almost rufous; the belly without 

 streaks. 3 L., 19 00; W., 13-75; T., 9-00; B. from N., -00, 9 L., 22-00; W., 

 15-00; T., 10-00. 



Range. — North America in general, south to Panama. 



Washington, common W. V., July to Apl. Sing Sing, tolerably common 

 S. E., Mch. 6 to Oct. 30; a few winter. Cambridge, common T. V., Mch. 15 

 to Apl. 15; Sept. and Oct. ; a few breed. 



Nest^ on the ground, in marshes. Egg».^ four to six, dull white or pale 

 bluish white, 1-75 x 1-40. 



This Ilawk is essentially a bird of the unwooded country, and we 

 might as well look for a Gnnise in the open marsh as for a Harrier in 

 the thick woods. It flies low, and may be easily identified by the large 



