52 BIRDS OF PREY. 



This species is common to the northern and temperate, as 

 well as the warmer parts of the old and new continents, being 

 met with in Europe, Africa, South America, and the West 

 Indies. In the winter season it extends its peregrinations 

 from Hudson's Bay to the Oregon territory and the southern 

 parts of the United States, frequenting chiefly open, low, and 

 marshy situations, over which it sweeps or skims along, at a 

 little distance usually from the ground, in quest of mice, small 

 birds, frogs, lizards, and other reptiles, which it often selects 

 by twilight as well as in the open day ; and at times, pressed 

 by hunger, it is said to join the Owls and seek out its prey 

 even by moonlight. Instances have been known in England 

 in which this bird has carried its temerity so far as to pursue 

 the same game with the armed fowler, and even snatch it from 

 his grasp after calmly waiting for it to be shot, and without 

 even betraying timidity at the report of the gun. The nest of 

 this species is made on the ground, in swampy woods or 

 among rushes, occasionally also under the protection of rocky 

 precipices, and is said to be formed of sticks, reeds, leaves, 

 straw, and similar materials heaped together, and finished with 

 a lining of feathers, hair, or other soft substances. In the 

 F. cineraceus, so nearly related to this species, the eggs are of 

 a pure white. When their young are approached, the parents, 

 hovering round the intruder and uttering a sort of uncouth 

 syllable, like geg geg gag, or ge ge ne ge ge, seem full of afright 

 and anxiety. The Crows, however, are their greatest enemies, 

 and they often succeed in demolishing the nests. The young 

 are easily tamed, and feed almost immediately without exhib- 

 iting any signs of fear. 



Nuttall has told about all that more modern observers have to 

 tell of this species. The authorities differ chiefly in descriptions of 

 the structure of the nest and the markings on the eggs. The nests 

 that I have examined have been composed entirely of coarse grass, 

 without lining, though the softest of the grass was laid on top. 

 The eggs were unspotted. 



