Oct. 1, 1868.] 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



229 



THE HOBBY. 



{Hypotriorchis subbuteo?) 



THE genus Hypotriorchis was established in 1826 

 by Boie, and all the species belonging to it 

 are very closely allied to the true Ealcons (Falco). 

 Indeed, as Mr. Harting justly remarks in his "Birds 

 of Middlesex," the English Hobby is a Peregrine in 

 miniature. The genus is cosmopolitan, represen- 

 tatives being found in the Old and New worlds; 

 but, as I am writing on only one species, I must 

 leave any further considerations on their geographical 



Berkshire, that I saw my first British-killed speci- 

 men. There, in the beautiful collection of birds 

 formed by Mrs. De Vitrc at Formosa, I found a 

 very fine specimen of the Hobby, which had been 

 shot iu Cliefden woods by one of the keepers. 

 Doubtless it would have figured as a trophy along 

 with other vermin (!) on some tree trunk, had 

 it not fallen under the notice of Mr. Briggs, the 

 head gardener at Formosa, to whose intelligence as 

 a field naturalist not only myself but Mr. Gould 

 can testify. Notices of the breeding of the Hobby 

 in this country are rare, and I therefore make no 

 apology for extracting from my paper, published 



a Hobby. 



distribution to another opportunity. Hypotriorchis 

 contains two sub-genera, both of which find repre- 

 sentatives in the British islands, and may respec- 

 tively be termed Hobbies {Ilypotriorchis, Boie) and 

 Merlins (JEsalon, Kaup). 



So rare in most parts of this country is the Hobby 

 that British ornithologists have had very little 

 opportunity of observing its habits in a state of 

 nature. During my residence in the north of 

 England, where I devoted all my leisure time to the 

 study of ornithology, not one instance of its occur- 

 rence came under my notice ; and it was not until I 

 went to live at Cookham, near Maidenhead, in 



elsewhere, the notes with which Mr. Briggs fur- 

 nished me on its nidification at Billing-bear Park, 

 where he was keeper some years ago, especially as it 

 gives us a striking instance of the courage for which 

 this pretty little Ealcon has always been noted. 

 " He had found a nest of this species in one of the 

 plantations on the estate, and only waited till the 

 young ones were fledged, to take them. Accord- 

 ingly he mounted to the nest, and was immediately 

 greeted with loud cries from the young birds. The 

 male Hobby, hearing the screams of the nestlings, 

 sailed over to the spot, and surveyed the scene of 

 action from a considerable height. Suddenly, as 



