MARSH HARRIER. 119 



the sound limb soon terminated the struggle.' This reminds 

 one of the gallant Witherington immortalized in 'Chevy Chase,' 

 'For when his legs were shot away, he fought upon his stumps.' 



Towards the end of the month of March, nidification com- 

 mences, and incubation in April; the young are hatched in 

 May. The nest is usually built in the high reeds which 

 fringe the margin of the lake, pond, or swamp;, in a tuft 

 of rushes, fern, or furze; on a mound, at the edge of a 

 bush, or on the top of the stump, or in the hollow of the 

 branches of some tree in the former situation. It is a very- 

 rude fabrication, and composed of sticks, with reeds, flags, 

 sedge, rushes, grass, or leaves; sometimes forming a mass 

 a foot and a half above the ground. 



The eggs are from three to five in number, slightly tapered 

 at one end, and generally perfectly white, or white with a slight 

 tinge of blue. Bewick says that they are irregularly spotted 

 with dusky brown; and Macgillivray describes some he had 

 seen which had a few faint light brown marks. 



This species varies exceedingly in plumage. Male; weight, 

 about twenty-one ounces; length; one foot seven to one foot 

 nine inches; bill, bluish black; cere, yellow; iris, yellow; head, 

 but sometimes only the crown, yellowish or white; in some 

 specimens the shafts are dark; in others, it, as well as the 

 whole of the plumage, is ferruginous brown; in others it is 

 yellowish white tinged with rufous, and streaked with dark 

 brown; and in others, only a shade lighter than the rest 

 of the brown plumage. The upper part of the neck is en- 

 circled by a ruff of stiff feathers; nape, yellowish white, or 

 white; chin and throat, nearly white. Breast, ferruginous 

 brown, streaked with a darker shade; the shoulders are some- 

 times white. Back, ferruginous brown, the feathers margined 

 with a lighter shade. 



The wings, when closed, reach nearly to the end of the tail; 

 greater wing coverts, ferruginous brown, but in older birds 

 partially or entirely ash grey ; and in some tipped with reddish 

 brown; sometimes yellow; lesser wing coverts, the same; 

 primaries, brownish black, or dark grey in old birds; the third 

 is the longest in the wing; the first and second are short; 

 secondaries, ash grey, tipped in some cases with reddish brown ; 

 tertiaries, ferruginous brown, margined with a lighter shade; 

 in old birds partially or entirely ash grey; larger and lesser 

 under wing coverts, light brown. Tail, ash grey ; in some 

 instances tipped with reddish brown; tail coverts, ferruginous 



