BLUE HAWK, OR HEN-HARRIER. 
the Buzzards. They may be further subdivided into those in 
which the female at least, is possessed of that curious facial ring 
of scaly or stiff feathers so remarkable in the Owls, and those 
entirely destitute of it. One species only is found in the United 
States, which belongs to the first section, and cannot be confounded 
with any other than that from which we have thought proper to 
distinguish it at the beginning of this article. In this section, the 
female differs essentially from the male, the young being similar 
to her in colour. The latter change wonderfully as they advance 
in age, to which circumstance is owing the wanton multiplication 
that has been made of the species. In those which compose the 
second section, the changes are most extraordinary, since, while 
the adult male is of a very uniform light colour, approaching to 
white, the female and young are very dark, and much spotted and 
banded: they are also much more conspicuously distinguished 
by the rigid facial ring. 
These birds are bold, and somewhat distinguished for their 
agility, especially when compared with the Buzzards, and in 
gracefulness of flight they are hardly inferior to the true Falcons. 
They do not chase well on the wing, and fly usually at no great 
height, making frequent circuitous sweeps, rarely flapping their 
wings, and strike their prey upon the ground. Their food consists 
of mice, and the young of other quadrupeds, reptiles, fishes, young 
birds, especially of those that build on the ground, or even adult 
water birds, seizing them by surprise, and do not disdain insects; 
for which habits they are ranked among the ignoble birds of 
prey. Unlike most other large birds of their family, they quarter 
their victims previously to swallowing them, an operation which 
they always perform on the ground. Morasses and level districts 
are their favourite haunts, being generally observed sailing low 
along the surface, or in the neighbourhood of waters, migrating 
when they are frozen. They build in marshy places, among high 
VOL. II.—K 
