292 HAWKS, EAGLES, AND KITES 



This species is a summer resident in southern Florida. It arrives 

 from the south in February. Mr. W. E. D. Scott writes of it as observed 

 at Lake Panasofkee, Florida: "Their food at this point apparently 

 consists of a kind of large, fresh-water snail, which is very abundant, 

 and the local name of 'Snail-Hawk' is particularly applicable to this 

 bird as I have met with it. They fish over the shallow water, remind- 

 ing one of Gulls in their motions; and having secured a snail by diving, 

 they immediately carry it to the nearest available perch, where the 

 animal is dexterously taken from the shell without injury to the latter." 

 (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, VI, 1881, p. 16.) 



331. Circus hudsonius (Linn.). MARSH HAWK, Ad. d\ Upperparts 

 gray or ashy; upper tail-coverts white; tail silvery gray, irregularly barred 

 or marked with blackish; upper breast pearl-gray; the lower breast and 

 belly white, spotted or barred with rufous. Ad. 9. Upperparts fuscous, 

 the head and neck streaked, and the wing-coverts spotted or margined 

 with rufous; longer upper tail-coverts white; midd e tail-feathers barred with 

 ashy and black, others barred with ochraceous-buff and black; underparts 

 ochraceous-buff, widely streaked on the breast and narrowly streaked on the 

 belly with fuscous or light umber. Im. Similar to the 9, but somewhat 

 darker above; the underparts darker, almost rufous; the belly without 

 streaks. <? L., 19'00; W., 1375; T., 9'00; B. from N., '60. 9 L., 22'00; W., 

 15-00; T., lO'OO. 



Range. N. A. Breeds from ne. Siberia, nw. Alaska, nw. Mackenzie, 

 cen. Keewatin, n. Que., and Prince Edward Is. s. to the s. border of the U. 

 S.; winters from s. B. C., Colo., Iowa, the Ohio Valley, arid N. Y. (occasion- 

 ally Mass.) s. to the Bahamas, Cuba, and Colombia. 



Washington, common W. V., July-Apl. Ossining, tolerably common 

 S. R., Mch. 6-Oct. 30; a few winter. Cambridge, common T. V., 

 Mch. 20-Nov. 10, one breeding record. N. Ohio, not common S. R., Mch. 

 5-Nov. 30. Glen Ellyn, S. R., several pairs, Apl. 4-Nov. 6. SE. Minn., 

 common S. R., Mch. 6 Nov. 1. 



Nest, on the ground, in marshes. Eggs, 4-6, dull white or pale bluish 

 white, 1'75 x 1'40. Date, New London Conn., May 18; Cambridge, June 5; 

 Meridian, N. Y., May 12; Baxter, Iowa, May 8. 



This Hawk is essentially a bird of the unwooded country, and we 

 might as well look for a Ruffed Grouse in the open marsh as for a Harrier 

 in the thick woods. It flies low, and may be easily identified by the 

 large white patch on its rump. Quartering the country with slow, vacil- 

 lating flight, it usually captures its living prey by surprising it away 

 from its retreats. 



The Harrier is a low-perching Hawk, and most frequently will 

 be Seen alighting on a slight elevation or in the grass. During the 

 nesting season the male may be seen performing a number of extraor- 

 dinary aerial evolutions. Sometimes he soars to a great height, then 

 falls straight downward nearly to the ground, turning several somer- 

 saults during the descent, and uttering at the same time a reiterated 

 screeching. At other times he flies across the marsh in a course which 

 would outline a gigantic saw, each of the descending parts being done 

 in a somersault and accompanied by the screeching notes, which form 

 the only love song within the range of his limited vocal powers. 



ERNEST T. SETON. 



