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GENUS CIRCUS. 



HARRIER. 



[General form slender ; tarsi elongated, slender ; tail long, nearly even ; wings 

 long, rounded ; the face surrounded with a kind of collar of rigid feathers.] 



CIRCUS CYANEUS. 



COMMON HARRIER, OR MARSH HAWK. 



Marsh Hawk, Falco uliginosus, Wils. Amer. Orn. 

 Falco cyaneus, Bonap. Amer. Orn. 

 Hen Harrier, or Marsh Hawk, Nutt. Man. 

 Marsh Hawk, Falco cyaneus, Aud. Orn. Biog. 



Buteo (Circus) cyaneus 1 var 1 Americanus, American Hen Harrier, 

 Sw. & Rich. 



Specific Character — Tarsi long-, slender ; tail long, straight, the 

 feathers rather broad ; upper tail-coverts and basal parts of tail 

 feathers white. Adult with the upper parts ash brown, the 

 upper part and sides of the head streaked with yellowish-red ; 

 primaries blackish-brown — the inner webs towards their bases 

 white ; outer webs shaded with grayish-blue, as are those of the 

 secondaries ; fore neck and upper part of the breast brownish-red, 

 the feathers with dull white spots — rest of the lower parts white, 

 the feathers barred and spotted with light red ; tibial feathers white, 

 with central light red spots ; upper tail-coverts and basal part of the 

 tail feathers white — as are the greater portion of their inner webs — 

 the outer two barred with blackish-brown and light red — the rest 

 crossed with fine bars of blackish-brown ; the outer webs shaded 

 with grayish-blue ; the tail-feathers long, straight, broad and round- 

 ed at the ends, which are dull white. The specimen from which 

 this description is taken is not in full plumage, though quite as 

 fully developed as we usually see it. At maturity, the upper parts 

 and fore part of the breast are pale blue — the rest of the lower 

 parts white. Length twenty inches, wing thirteen. 



Among us the Marsh Hawk or Harrier is a constant resident. 

 It is commonly seen sailing over the salt marshes and meadow s 

 in quest of mice. Although it is seldom that we visit its favorite 

 resort without seeing several individuals, yet with us a specimen in 



