MARSH HAWK (Circus hudsonius) 
Length, about 19 inches. The ashy upper 
parts, white rump, and long tail of the adult 
male sufficiently distinguish this hawk; while 
the fuscous upper parts and buff under parts 
much streaked with brown distinguish the fe- 
male and young. 
Range: Breeds through much of Canada, 
south to the middle United States; winters in 
the United States, especially in the South. 
Though not exclusively a marsh frequenter, 
as its name might seem to imply, this hawk 
prefers open country, and its favorite hunting 
grounds are meadow and marsh, in which it 
nests on the ground. It flies rather low, the 
better to see and drop suddenly upon the luck- 
less meadow mice—its favorite food. Unfor- 
tunately small birds form part of its fare, and 
there are localities, like Cape Cod and Marthas 
Vineyard, in Massachusetts, where this hawk 
has earned a bad reputation as a destroyer of 
poultry and game. However, over much the 
larger part of the vast territory it inhabits the 
marsh hawk is a rodent eater, and the debt of 
gratitude. it lays upon the farmer is large. 
This debt should be fully discharged by pre- 
serving the bird and encouraging its presence. 
unless it is caught committing overt acts. In 
other words, as this hawk is very beneficial 
over most of its range, individual hawks should 
be presumed to be innocent unless detected in 
transgression. 
TURKEY BUZZARD (Cathartes aura 
septentrionalis) 
Length, about 30 inches. The naked head 
and neck and glossy black plumage are dis- 
tinctive. 
Range: Extends from southwestern Canada, 
northern Minnesota, southern New York, and 
south into northern Mexico and Lower Cali- 
fornia. 
This buzzard displays superb powers of flight 
which even the eagle cannot surpass, and no 
small part of its time is spent in the upper air, 
describing great circles on motionless wings as 
if for the mere pleasure of flight. Let another 
buzzard, however, discover a carcass, and the 
movements of our aéronaut as he hastens to 
the feast are at once noted by his next neigh- 
bor, and his by a third, till the carrion feeders 
of a wide territory are assembled. Sight and 
not smell, then, is depended on by the buzzard 
to guide him to his food. Though of great 
strength and provided with a formidable bill, 
the buzzard rarely, if ever, attacks living ani- 
mals, unless they are disabled, but depends 
upon death to provide for his wants. No doubt 
his ability to fast is as great as his capacity 
for gorging himself when occasion offers, and 
he must often go for days without food. As 
a scavenger the buzzard does good service and 
should continue to enjoy the protection which 
is at present accorded it in nearly every State 
of the Union. 
Photograph by Arthur E. Mayer 
HUSBAND AND WIFE 
The magnificent plumage of the peacock belongs only to the male, and it may be noticed 
that the female to the left of the picture is far less handsome than her husband, who pre- 
sents us with a back view of his outstretched tail. 
These birds were once highly esteemed 
as food, and in the middle ages always figured at the most sumptuous banquets, roasted, 
but in all the glory of their gaudy plumage. 
69 
