526 THE BIRDS OF MANITOBA THOMPSON. 



complete somersault, then plunged again, and repeated this series of 

 actions a number of times, then set its wings rigidly and sailed away 

 in a straight line, never flapping once till out of sight. It was a gray 

 hawk with a white breast and seemed a perfect master of aerial navi- 

 gation. 



July 13, at the slough saw a hawk sailing about and squeaking like 

 -a snipe. It continued sailing very near and seemed in no fear of me, 

 but of course I had no gun. A kingbird launched out from a bush 

 ^nd gave chase; the hawk rose higher and higher till the kingbird was 

 lost to sight; soon the latter returned and afterward the hawk. This 

 happened twice and made me think it was a Red-tailed Buzzard. 



As he did not seem disposed to go away, I went home and in half 

 an hour returned with a gun. He was still there and soon again came 

 sailing and squeaking over me. He made a swoop which brought him 

 Tery near; then crack! and he fell headlong. I ran to pick up ray prize 

 to find the Arctic hawk, at last, and lo! my old friend the harrier, the 

 commonest of our predacious birds. 



August 9, I shot an adult female harrier at the same place as last 

 taken. She also was uttering the peculiar cackling, though not flying 

 after the manner described. Her gizzard contained a mass of pulp 

 which was full of what looked like raspberry seeds. I think it likely 

 she had swallowed a gopher whose stomach was full of that fruit. 



On September 9, on the edge of the grain field, in the evening, saw a 

 harrier (brown) pounce on a Prairie Chicken, but the latter struggled, 

 and at length got free and made a dash for life, with the harrier in 

 close pursuit, but to my surprise the chicken gained at every beat, 

 and in less than 100 yards the harrier gave up the chase and turned 

 about in search of gophers, grasshoppers, and other game more within 

 his reach. 



The Marsh Harrier yClrcus cyaneus hudsonius) is a very common bird through- 

 out Manitoba, and may often be seen sailing over the prairies, the sloughs, or the 

 wheat fields. One morning late in August I remember counting a dozen round one 

 house. * •» * Nearly all the individuals I saw were in the brown plumage ; only 

 three or four wore the adult bluish ash-colored dress. This bird comes often and in- 

 spects the settlers' chickens, but seldom carries off any except very young ones- 

 gophers, mice, and grasshoppers being its usual prey. It is exceedingly easy to shoot 

 and one or two dead ones may often be seen lying round a farmer's house. The har- 

 rier became a much scarcer bird as September wore on (Christy.) 



These hawks are very fond of eating the ducks that are killed and lost by sportsmen, 

 and where much shooting is done in a marsh you may see numbers of carcasses of 

 ducks half devoured by this bird. On one occasion a harrier tried to take from me a 

 wounded teal that had crossed a creek on the bank of which I was shooting. Before 

 I sent my dog for the duck the hawk came, hovering over the creek, and seeing the 

 prostrate bird immediately pounced on its back, but the teal fluttered and threw 

 him off for the moment. As I wished to see the result I kept perfectly quiet, and 

 the hawk, not noticing me, settled down on the ground about 2 feet from the duck 

 and watched for some time ; at last, apparently tired of waiting for the wounded bird 

 to die, he went off. These birds should never be destroyed ; as, though occasionally 

 they may take a young or wounded duck, their prey is usually mice and gophers. 

 iNatah, MSS.) 



