THE BIRDS OF NEW JERSEY. 79 



It breeds in North America southward as far as the 

 Middle States. In New Jersey it is more frequent in win- 

 ter, rather common along the coast, where it preys on 

 water birds, but rather scarce in the interior. A few 

 breed along the upper Delaware. 



Government examination of 20 stomachs showed that 

 7 contained poultry or game birds, 9 other birds, 1 mice, 2 

 insects and 4 were empty. 



Matvk, Fish. See Osprey. 



Mawk, Hen. See Red-shouldered Hawk, Red-Tailed 

 Hawk and Cooper's Hawk. 



Mawk, jnarsh, or Harrier. — Length, eighteen to 

 twenty inches; male, above light bluish gray, as is also 

 the whole head and fore part of the breast; rest of under 

 surface white, sometimes spotted with rusty; tail, gray, 

 barred with broad black bands, and a little rufous near 

 the base; inner webs of wing feathers white at base; 

 female, brown above, mottled with rusty edgings on the 

 head ; under parts, rusty, shaded and striped with brown 

 on throat and breast; tail brown, with blackish bands; 

 inner webs of wing feathers barred brown and white; 

 young birds similar to female. 



This bird at aU times and in intermediate plumages 

 can be easily identified by the pure white rump. 



The nest is built on the ground in a marsh, near water, 

 at the base of a bush or in the top of a tussock, composed 

 of dry grass and dead twigs with a spare lining of feathers. 

 In New Jersey mating begins in June. The eggs are 

 from four to six in number, rarely as many as eight, of a 

 dull white, sometimes with brown blotches, one and three 

 quarters by one and two-fifths inches in size. 



The breeding location is the whole of North America to 

 Alaska. The birds are resident in New Jersey, but are 

 much more plentiful in winter. 



The food of this bird consists principally of meadow 



