102 
THE CONDOR 
Vol. XV 
On the evening of June 30, I stopped to look at the nest and found three of 
the eg-gs pipped and aliont to hatch. On the morning of July 1, T found that the 
three young liad emerged. They were well covered with down above, but rather 
sparsely so below. The down on the upperparts was almost white, but with a slight 
hulTy cast, while that of the underparts was pure wh.ite. The skin was light pink 
and, showing through the down, gave the young birds a pinkish appearance. The 
eyes of one of the birds were closed, but those of the other two, just beginning 
to o])en. This, with similar observations made on the birds born later, showed 
that young Marsh Hawks are evidently horn with the eyes closed, but that they 
open within a few hours. This is a contrast to the young Short-eared Owls, 
whose eyes did not begin to open until they were six or seven days old. 
The fourth young Marsh Hawk hatched before the morning of July 2, the 
Eig'. 29. Young M.\rsh II.'\wk.s Aged 23 D.ws: Photo Taken July 24 
fifth on the afternoon of July 4, and the sixth on July 7. In the case of the sixth 
bird the exact date of laying of the egg and hatching was known, and the period 
of incubation was 31 days. Since the first three eggs hatched at about the same 
lime, it is iproliahle that incubation did not begin until after the third egg was 
laid. On July 4 1 took the first ])hotogra])h of tlie young, then two and three 
days old, at a time when the fifth egg was pipped and about to hatch. 
For the first six or seven days the young showed no change in appearance 
except that they grew larger and became somewhat more active. On July 8, 
just after the youngest liird had hatched, I noted that the oldest birds were about 
three times the size of the youngest. About July 10 the two youngest birds dis- 
apjK'ared, probably having died. 1 lielieved that this was because they were so 
much smaller and weaker than the four older birds that they were unable to get 
their proper share of food. 
