FALCONS, HAWKS, EAGLES, ETC. 



197 



east of Louisiana. It migrates in flocks, sometimes flying within gun- 

 shot, and at others so fur above the earth as to be almost beyond the 

 bounds of vision. 



330. Rostrhamus SOCiabills ( I'ieilL). Kveiuilaoe Kite; Snail- 

 Hawk. A(L — Dark slute-color; under, and longer upper tail-eoverts, and base 

 of tlie tail wliito, tip of the tail whitish ; upper iiifiiKlible iiiueh leiigtiiened 

 and hooked. //«.— Upper parts hlaek, tipped with rufous; under j)art.-» barred 

 and mottled ^vith rufous, black, and buti'y ; tail a« in the adult. L., 18-00; 

 W., U-00; T., 7'7r); B., 1-t'O. 



liaiiffc.—Brccih from middle Florida southward to the Argentine Republic. 



A't'/s^, in bushes, among reeds or tall grasses. /iV/[/«, two to three, pale blu- 

 ish white, heavily spotted, blotched, or washed with cinnaniou or ehocolatc, 

 1-85 X 1--17. 



This species is a summer resident in southern Florida. It an-ives 

 from tlie .south in February. i\Ir. W. E. D. Scott writes of it as ob- 

 served at Lake Panasofkee, Florida: "Their food at this point appar- 

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

 dant, and the local name of * Siiiiil-IIawk ' is particularly applicable 

 to this bird as 1 have met with it. They fish over the sliallow water, 

 reminding one of Gnlls in their motions ; and having secured a snail 

 by diving, they immediately carry it to the nearest avaihi!)le percli, 

 where the animal is dexterously taken from the shell without injury 

 to the latter" (Bull. Nutt. Orn. Club, vi, 1881, p. IG). 



331. Circus hudsoiiius(Z(«//.). Marsh Hawk; IlAituiEn. Ad. S .— 



Upper parts gray or ashy ; upi)er tail-coverts ir/iiie ; tail silvery gray, irregu- 

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

 breast and belly white, spotted or barred with rufous. Ad. 9 . — Upper parts 

 fuscous, the head and neck streaked, and the wing-coverts s[)otted or uiargined 

 Avith rufous; longer u{per tail-coverts white ; middle tail-feathers barred with 

 ashy and black, others barred with (K'hraceous-l)ulF and black; under parts 

 ochraceous-butt, widely streaked on the l)reast and narrowly streaked on tlio 

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

 darker above; tlic under parts darker, almost rufnus; the belly withmit 

 streaks. 3 L., IDW; W,, 1;>T">; T., l»-(ii); 15. fn.ni N., -(W. v L., 'J-J-oo; W., 

 1. ")•(>(); T., lO-OO. 



liaiuje. — J^orth America in general, soutli to Panama. 



Washington, coiumon W. V., July to Apl. Sing Sing, tuicraiily common 

 S. E., Mch. G to Oct. 30; a few winter. Cambridge, eomuion T. V., Mch. 15 

 to Apl. 15; Sept. and Oct.; a few breed. 



Xest., on the ground, in niarsbes. /-(/(/.v, four to six, dull white or pale 

 bluish white, VT5 x l-to. 



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

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

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



