BIRDS OF PREY 



139 



on the wing, they have a steadiness of flight unlike the 

 bullet-like dash of some of the hawks, and more closely 

 resembling the flight of the guHs. 

 Their call is a high-keyed whistle, 

 which falls three tones in a plaintive 

 minor key. Besides this, they utter a 

 sharp, short squeak when darting down 

 to seize their prey. Aside from the fact 

 of his beauty and grace, the food of 

 the White-tail is such as to 

 render him beneficial to farmers, 

 and he should be protected by 

 law fully as much as the game 

 and song birds. Lizards, frogs, 

 snakes, grasshoppers, and j- 



beetles are his bill of fare, and 

 these he consumes in great num- 

 bers. Small birds do uot fear 

 him as they do the bird-eating 

 species, and this alone is proof that he does not molest 

 them. 



328. White-tailed Kite. 

 " Preying upon the field mice.'' 1 



331. MARSH HAWK. — Circus hudsonius. 

 Family : The Falcons, Hawks, Eagles, etc. 



Length: 19.50-24.00. 



Adult Male : Slate-color streaked with white ; under parts and rump 



pure white ; breast and sides lightly speckled with reddish brown ; 



tail with alternate bands of brown and black, six or seven in number ; 



tips of wings black. 

 Adult Female, and Young : Rusty, more or less streaked with black. 

 Downy Young : Rusty buff above, more or less washed with gray, and 



merging to whitish on lower parts. 



