THE MARSH HARRIER. 115 



THE MARSH HARRIER (FalcO Tufus). 



This is the largest and most powerful of the harriers. The 

 female is sometimes about two feet in length, and nearly four 

 and a half in the extent of the wings, weighing, when of that 

 size, at least a pound and a half. The upper plumage is rich 

 brown, with rust-coloured margins ; the head, neck, and 

 under part yellowish white, with rusty markings more or 

 less obscure. It is subject to considerable variations of 

 colour, the head and under parts being sometimes nearly 

 pure white. The male is smaller than the female, lighter in 

 the colours, and when old it often turns grey, which does not 

 appear to be the case in the female. Nest generally on the 

 ground, and the eggs pure white. These birds are not un- 

 common near extensive marshes ; but the pairs live apart 

 from each other, except sometimes during severe storms, 

 when they resort to the sandy wastes along the sea-shore. 

 They fly very low over the marshes, and, from the great 

 length of their wings, they appear much larger than they 

 really are. They prey on water birds, on the grallse, on water 

 rats and mice, on frogs, and even on fish, when they can 

 pounce upon them in the shallows. They will sometimes 

 take a turn round houses, if situated near their haunts, and 

 carry off chickens or tame ducks. They also eat carrion, 

 especially the bodies of sheep that perish in the marshes. 

 They are often found beating over rabbit warrens, when these 

 are near marshes or the shores of the sea ; and they choose 

 the mornings and the evenings after rain, when the rabbits 

 come out, at which time they kill great numbers of both old 

 and young. Their flight is rapid, however, and as the marsh 

 is more easily beat than the brake, they are not so often 

 seen, or seen so long at a time as the hen harriers. The 

 mornings, at, and a little before sunrise, when the grallaB 

 leave their nests to feed on worms before these get into the 



i2 



