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42 BLUE HAWK, OR HEN-HARRIER. 
but notwithstanding, rapid, smooth, and buoyant. It is commonly 
observed sailing over marshes, or perched on trees near them, 
whence it pounces suddenly upon its prey. When it has thus 
struck at an object, if it re-appears quickly from the grass or 
reeds, it is a proof that it has missed its aim, for, if otherwise, 
its prey is devoured on the spot. 
It breeds in open wastes, frequently in thick furze coverts, 
among reeds, marshy bushes, the low branches of trees, but 
generally on the ground. The nest is built of sticks, reeds, straw, 
leaves, and similar materials heaped together, and is lined with 
feathers, hair, or other soft substances; it contains from three to 
six, but generally four or five, pale bluish-white eggs, large and 
round at each end: the young are born covered with white down, 
to which succeed small feathers of a rust colour, varied with 
brown and black. If any one approaches the nest during the 
period of rearing the young, the parents evince the greatest 
alarm, hovering around, and expressing their anxiety by repeating 
the syllables geg, geg, gag; or ge, ge, ne, ge, ge. Crows manifest 
a particular hostility to this species, and destroy numbers of their 
nests. 
The Hen-Harrier is widely spread over both continents, per¬ 
haps more than any other land bird, though it is no where 
remarkably numerous. In the northern countries of America, 
it is a migratory species, extending its wanderings from Florida 
to Hudson’s Bay. It is not known to breed in the Northern, or 
even in the Middle states, where the adults are but rarely seen. 
In the Southern parts of the Union, and especially in Florida, 
they are rather common in all their varieties of plumage. The 
species is also found in the West Indies, Cayenne, and probably 
has an extensive range in South America. It is found throughout 
Britain, Germany, Italy, the north of Africa, and the northern 
portion of Asia. It is very common in France and the Nether- 
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