BLUE HAWK, OR HEN-HARRIER. 247 



The Hen-Harrier's favorite haunts are rich and extensive plains, and 

 low grounds. Though preferring open and champaign countries, and 

 seeming to have an antipathy to forests, which it always shuns, it does 

 not, like the Ash-colored Harrier, confine itself to marshes, but is also 

 seen in dry countries, if level. We are informed by Wilson, that it is 

 much esteemed by the southern planters, for the services it renders in 

 preventing the depredations of the Rice-birds upon their crops. Cau- 

 tious and vigilant, it is not only by the facial disk that this bird ap- 

 proaches the Owls, but also by a habit of chasing in the morning and 

 f.vening, at twilight, and occasionally at night whe'n the moon shines, 

 ifalconers reckon it among the ignoble Hawks. Cruel, though cow- 

 ardly, it searches everywhere for victims, but selects them only among 

 weak and helpless objects. It preys on moles, mice, young birds, and 

 is very destructive to game ; and does not spare fishes, snakes, insects, 

 or even worms. Its flight is always low, but notwithstanding, rapid, 

 smooth, and buoyant. It is commonly observed sailing over marshes, 

 or perched on trees near them, whence it pountes suddenly upon its 

 prey. When it has thus struck at an object, if it re-appears quickly 

 from the grass or reeds, it is a proof that it has missed its aim, for, if 

 otherwise, its prey is devoured on the spot. 



It breeds in open wastes, frequently in thick furze coverts, among 

 reeds, marshy bushes, the low branches of trees, but generally on the 

 ground. The nest is built of sticks, reeds, straw, leaves, and similar 

 materials heaped together, and is lined with feathers, hair, or other soft 

 substances ; it contains from three to six, but generally four or five, 

 pale bluish-white eggs, large and round at each end : the young are 

 born covered with white down, to which succeed small feathers of a rust 

 color, varied with brown and black. If any one approaches'the nest 

 during the period of rearing the young, the parents evince the greatest 

 alarm, hovering around, and expressing their anxiety by repeating the 

 syllables, geg, geg, gag ; or ge, ge, ne, ge, ge. Crows manifest a parti- 

 cular hostility to this species, and destroy numbers of their nests. 



The Hen-Harrier is widely spread over both continents, perhaps more 

 than any other land bird, though it is nowhere remarkably numerous. 

 In the northern countries of America, it is a migratory species, extend- 

 ing its wanderings from Florida to Hudson's Bay. It is not known to 

 breed in the Northern, or even in the Middle States, where the adults 

 are but rarely seen. In the southern parts of the Union, and especially 

 in Florida, they are rather common in all their varieties of plumage. 

 The species is also found in the West Indies, Cayenne, and probably 

 has an extensive range in South America. It is found throughout 

 Britain, Germany, Italy, the north of Africa, and the northern portion 

 of Asia. It is very common in France and the Netherlands, is found 

 in Russia and Sweden, but does not inhabit the north of Norway, 



