May, 1913 
A STUDY OF THE NESTING OF THE MARSH HAWK 
101 
Three Days; one of the two Eggs was on 
THE Point of Hatching; Photo 
Taken Juey 4 
then she rose and circled about my head, calling in the same manner as the male. 
At first she never swooped at my head, but later, particularly after the young had 
hatched, she did so, but never in 
quite the same swift, savage, and 
unhesitating manner as her mate. 
During the latter part of June 
it seemed as though the male had 
learned to distinguish me from 
other people as the particular dis- 
turber of his home, for he attacked 
me frequently when I was a long- 
distance from his nest, and often 
not headed in that direction. Once 
I was surprised to have him swoop 
suddenly and silently at my head 
while I was hunting for a curlew's 
nest, more than a mile from his 
own. The male curlew soon 
however, and drove 
him quickly away. On three 
different sides of his nest, 
all within a hundred yards of it, 
were three Kingbird’s nests, and the owners of these nests did their best to make 
his life miserable every time his attacks on me led him too close to their homes. 
During the period of incubation the male evidently fed his mate. At least he 
was out on hunting trips part of 
the time, and once, when he was 
away at my arrival, he returned 
while I was setting up my cam- 
era for a photograph, carrying 
a mouse in his claws. As soon 
as he saw me, he dropped the 
mouse and fiew swiftly up to 
attack me. Later I picked u]i 
the mouse and examined it. Its 
head had been removed and 
there was a large hole evidently 
made by the hawk’s claw in its 
side, z^fter the young hatched 
the male evidently spent much 
of his time hunting, for 1 saw 
very little of him around the 
nest. In fact I did not see him 
at all after July 4. It is quite 
possible that he was shot about 
this time, for it seemed strange 
that I should see nothing at all 
of him after that. He was a par- 
ticularly handsome bird. His jilumage was perfect and his flight \/as always 
swift, graceful and beautiful. His larger mate, in comparison, always seemed 
clumsy. There were ragged holes in her wings and one tail feather hung lof'se, 
showing that she had evidently recently encountered a charge of shot. 
Fig. 28. Young Marsh Hawks Aged 12 and 
13 Days; Photo Taken Judy 14 
