1892
Sept.7
(No.6)
Concord, Massachusetts.
Mass.
Concord.- An adult male Marsh Hawk passed very near
me this afternoon on its way across the river in front of
my cabin and I distinctly saw its legs and feet extended
backward and pressed close against the under side of the
tail.  I had supposed that all Hawks carried the legs
doubled at the tarsal joint and the feet buried in the 
feathers of the belly or rather breast. This bird was skimming
over the open water on set wings and in the usual slow,
effortless manner.
[margin] Marsh Hawk's
legs carried
stretched out
behind during
flight. [/margin]
  A few minutes after the sun had set this evening while
I was standing at my landing watching the gorgeous coloring
of the clouds in the west a night-hawk suddenly appeared
nearly overhead coming from behind me. Turning quickly
I perceived no less than thirteen others all flying in the
same general direction (towards the W.). The flock, for such it
evidently was, spread over the whole width (150 yds) of the
river and the members [delete] different birds [/delete] kept at approximately even distances
from one another and flew with a steadiness and directness
very unusual to these erratic creatures although the temptation
to turn aside to seize some tempting insect prize was not
always resisted and once one chased another back and forth
pursuer & pursued doubling and twisting like startled snipe. One
bird uttered several times a flat, squeaky paap. Evidently
these night-hawks were migrating & following the course
of the river. I watched until dark but they did not come back
as feeding birds would surely have done. They were followed
after a brief interval by a smaller flock of nine individuals.
The appearance of the larger body strongly (& strangely) suggested
a cavalry charge, despite their slow advance. There was
something very impressive in their orderly and deliberate sweep
[margin]Flocks of
Night Hawks
migrating
at sunset [/margin] 