70 MARSH HAWK— HARRIER— BLUE HAWK. 



well-trained dog. From this habit has sprung the term " harrier." 

 The bird was a few years ago very abundant in the low meadows 

 which border on the Lachine railroad on the island of Montreal, 

 and in the neighborhood of the wheel-house and St. Pierre river 

 or creek. I have also frequently met with it on the Nuns' island in 

 the St. Lawrence, opposite Montreal, where several pairs nested 

 regularly for many years. Its usual prey consists of field mice and 

 field-crickets largely, as also frogs and snakes. In this respect, as 

 well as others, it resembles the Rough-legged Buzzard {B. lagopus.) 

 I have never observed it prey upon birds of any description, 

 although it may possibly do so when the former are scarce. 

 Audubon says that occasionally when impelled by hunger it will 

 attack patridges, plovers, and even ducks ; but such occasions 

 must be rare. I have examined several whose stomachs were 

 filled with the fragments of frogs and crickets alone. The Marsh 

 Hawk hunts largely during twilight and even after dark, and 

 during the heat of the day is but seldom met with. Its nest has 

 been variously described by writers as being constructed of moss, 

 grass, feathers and hair, and placed on the ground or in a low 

 bush. In Canada, however, such a record would not be correct 

 nor sufficiently definite. I met with two nests on the Nuns' island, 

 near Montreal, both of which contained eggs. One of these was 

 simply a collection ot dried marsh grass, leaves, and a little moss, 

 deposited on the ground, but close to the roots of a small bush, 

 the branches of which protected and to a great extent concealed 

 it. In this there were four eggs of a pale greenish or bluish- 

 white color, without any definite markings, although I observed 

 something like obscure markings on two of them. These mea- 

 sured a little less than i^ inches in length, and in the broadest 

 part were a little over i inch. The other nest was close to the 

 base of a tall clump of weeds and grass, and was entirely con- 

 structed of dried grass, loosely gathered together. This was 

 much trodden down, and looked as if it had been used for a 

 number of years. I believe these nests are in many instances 

 returned to regularly year after year by the same pair of birds, 

 each time being slightly added to and repaired. This last nest 



