FALCONID^. 29 



been killed in this county, were young birds in their 

 first year's plumage, in which state they generally 

 go by the name of " Black Hawks." 



The food of the Marsh Harrier appears to consist 

 principally of water birds, animals and reptiles : eggs 

 may also be added to the bill of fare. 



The nest is formed of small sticks, rushes or long- 

 grass : it is placed on the ground amongst long coarse 

 grass, in a bunch of Brushes, fern or furze, or at the 

 base of a bush.* 



This bird is a considerable time before it appears 

 in full adult plumage, as will appear from the fol- 

 lowing descriptions : In the young bird of the year 

 the whole of the plumage is chocolate-brown, the 

 feathers tipped with lighter reddish brown. In the 

 second year the head, neck, chin and throat become 

 dull yellow, with an occasional patch of the same on 

 the carpus or anterior point of the wing : it is in this 

 state of plumage that Bewick has represented the 

 Marsh Harrier, under the name of the " Moor Buz- 

 zard." In the adult male the beak is bluish black ; 

 cere and irides yellow ; the top of the head, cheeks 

 and nape of the neck yellowish white, tinged with 

 rufous and streaked with dark brown ; the back wing- 

 coverts and tertials dark reddish brown, with lighter 

 margins ; the primaries brownish black ; the second- 

 aries and all the tail-feathers ash-grey : this state of 



Yarrell, vol. i., p. 106. 



D 3 



