360 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



sport, rising abruptly hundreds of feet without apparent 

 effort diving, sailing, reversing, absolute masters of 



the air. 



The marsh hawk is quite a different looking bird, 

 although light of body and long of wing. It is seldom 

 found far from the marshes except during its migra- 

 tions, although it does a great deal of feeding about 

 open fields where mice are abundant. Occasionally it 

 tajces young ducklings or marsh birds but most of its 

 food consists of meadow mice, frogs, snakes, etc. It 

 can easily be distinguished by a white patch above the 



tail. 



The marsh hawk nests on the ground, usually in the 

 marshes but sometimes by stumps in upland pastures, 

 and lays from five to seven pure white eggs. It seldom 

 perches in trees, preferring some low perch on a fence 

 post or on the ground. Occasionally, however, near the 



YOUNG SPARROW HAWK SHORTLY AFTER LEAVING THE NEST 



He could not fly far and was easily tired out and made to sit for his 

 picture. An aluminum bracelet was put on his leg to mark him before 

 he was released. 



nest, it selects some high stub or dead tree from which 

 it can keep a sharp lookout. 



During the mating season the male performs curious 

 evolutions in the air, sometimes turning somersaults 

 from a considerable height toward the ground or again 

 "looping the loop" on an angular course across the 

 marsh. 



The fish hawk or osprey is most abundant along the 

 seacoast but is found inland abeut most large bodies 

 of water from the tropics to the arctic circle. With 

 slight variations it is found all over the world. Unlike 

 other hawks, it sometimes nests in small colonies, es- 



THE HOME OF THE MARSH HAWK 



The marsh hawk nests on the ground, usually in the marshes. Hawks 

 are very difficult subjects for the photographer, but here the camera 

 has caught the male bird when it returned to inspect the nest and shows 

 well all the wildness and fierceness of its nature. 



JUST HATCHED 



One of the young marsh hawks is seen still between the frag- 

 ments of egg shell which encased him. 



