MARSH HA WK. 
283 
DIMENSIONS. 
Average measurements of male specimens from Eastern United States. Length, 19*00; stretch, 40'00; wing, 1350; tail, 
7*50; bill, '90; tarsus, 2*90. Longest specimen, 20 00; greatest extent of wing, 42*00; longest wing, 15*00; tail, 9*00; bill, 
1 00; tarsus, 3 00. Shortest specimen, 18*00; smallest extent of wing, 41*00; shortest wing, 14*90; tail, 8*00; bill, *80; tar¬ 
sus, 2*80. 
Average measurements offemale specimens. Length, 23*00; stretch,45*50; wing, 13*00; tail, 8*50; bill, 1*00; tarsus, 3 
*25. Longest specimen, 24*00; greatest extentof wing, 48 00; longest wing, 15*50;’tail, lo*00; bill, 1*10; tarsus, 3*50. Short¬ 
est specimen, 22 00; smallest extent of wing, 43*50; shortest wing, 14*50; tail, 9*00; bill, *90; tarsus, 3*00. 
DESCRIPTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 
Nests, placed on the ground or near it. They are not very bulky structures and are composed of sticks, twigs, weeds, 
etc., lined with grass and leaves. 
Eacjs, four to six in number, rather oval in form, greenish-white in color, either immaculate or faintly spotted with pale 
brown or lilac. Dimensions from 1*42 x 1*80 to 1*45 x 1*88. 
HABITS. 
The Ilawks, now under consideration, have been rightly named as far as the appella¬ 
tion by which they are commonly known, is concerned, for it will be difficult to find a 
marsh, either salt or fresh, of any extent, which is not more or less hunted over by these 
birds. It makes but little difference as to the situation of these low-lying tracts of coun¬ 
try so long as they form the homes of mice, small birds, frogs, or even snakes, for the pres¬ 
ence of any of these animals is sufficient to induce the Marsh Hawks to visit the sections 
in which they occur, in order to prey upon them. Thus they may be seen hovering over 
the cold, heath-covered bogs in the far north, searching for mice or small birds; they are 
common along the fresh water meadows of New England, are abundant in the’middle dis¬ 
tricts, and fairly swarm among the rice fields and along the rivers .of the Carolinas and 
Georgia, extending their range even to the vast savannas of Southern Florida, in all of 
which places the abundant mammalian, avian, and reptilian life offers them an ample and 
varied diet. 
Thus it will be seen that all sections are alike to the Marsh Hawks and scarcely any 
thing that has life, comes amiss to them by the way of food. Perhaps I ought to have 
said, however, any thing that lives or has lived, for these Hawks will not only eat mice, 
small birds, frogs, snakes, or insects, which they catch and kill, but will also eat dead ani¬ 
mals. On several occasions, I have known of them eating Ducks which have been killed 
by gunners, or some animal, and either lost or abandoned. The Marsh Hawks are, as a 
rule, not very bold but I once knew an exception to this and, while in Florida, some years 
ago, repeatedly saw one of these birds rob a Peregrine Falcon of Ducks which it had cap¬ 
tured. This appears almost incredible but I was once quite near when the Marsh Hawk 
took possession of the booty of the Falcon that was sitting on the ground, and I distinctly 
saw the latter give up his prey, almost without a struggle, to the venturesome Hawk which 
coolly began to eat it, utterly disregarding the screams of the Falcon that was darting about 
a few yards above him. Nor would he quit his meal until I had approached quite near, 
when he flew reluctantly away. On the two occasions when I took the trouble to exam¬ 
ine the half-eaten Duck, I found that it was a Scaup, a species which was to heavy for 
either the Falcon or Hawk to carry away with ease; therefore they were obliged to leave 
it when attacked and when surprised. 
