230 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



[Oct. 1, 186S. 



Mr. Briggs was preparing to descend with bis cap- 

 tives, the bird darted down from above with im- 

 mense velocity, his wings cleaving the air with a 

 loud whish-sh-sh as he shot down to within a foot of 

 the intruder's bead, and then, carried up by the 

 impetus of his descent, he mounted as swiftly as he 

 had stooped, and only paused a second ere he re- 

 commenced tbe attack. This was renewed in quick 

 succession as Mr. Briggs descended, causing in his 

 mind no small apprehension lest the courageous 

 bird should strike at his face. Having reached the 

 ground in safety, and wishing to obtain the old 

 bird, he carried the young into the middle of a 

 neighbouring field, and, having made them scream, 

 stood ready with his gun. No sooner did the 

 parent-bird hear the young cry, than he again 

 appeared, and from an immense height swooped at 

 Mr. Briggs with the same astonishing velocity that 

 had characterized bis former descents. So sudden 

 was the attack that there was no time to fire, and 

 the bird ascended again like lightning. Would that 

 I could now add that the Hobby escaped; but, 

 alas ! love for its nestlings impelled him to make 

 one more stoop, and, in the midst of his next descent, 

 the gun was fired, and the poor Hobby fell dead to 

 the earth, like a thunderbolt." 



Unlike the Merlin (IlypotriorcMs Msalon), which 

 visits us in the winter, and seldom remains to breed, 

 the Hobby is only a summer visitant, and as soon 

 as winter approaches it takes its departure east- 

 ward. Mr. Stevenson gives June as the date of its 

 arrival in Norfolk ; but although the majority of 

 the cases observed may have led to that conclusion, 

 I think that it appears in this country much earlier 

 in the year. The true breeding-place of the Hobby 

 seems to be Southern Russia and the Crimea, and I 

 subjoin Demidoff s notes on tbe subject, taken from 

 his " Voyage dans la Russie Mcridionale," vol. iii. 

 p. 87. 



"It is generally admitted that if the Hobby 

 nidificates in Central Europe it is only of accidental 

 occurrence ; but in the Crimea and the rest of New 

 Russia this is not the case ; for everywhere where 

 there is the smallest group of trees one may be 

 almost sure of finding its nest, often taken from the 

 Magpie and Crow. Duriug summer it is observed 

 on the steppes, especially in the neighbourhood of 

 the sea or stagnant water, where the inhabitants of 

 the air assemble to quench their thirst. There it is 

 the terror of the different species of Larks, but 

 especially of the Calandra, upon which it hurls 

 itself from some hidden place, forces it to take 

 wing, and then seizes it in the air. Iu summer it 

 is the young and inexperienced individuals of this 

 species of lark which suffer most, for tbe old birds 

 are too wary to rise up ; they, on tbe other hand, 

 skulk on the ground, and, as the Falcon only seizes 

 those that fly, they avoid the danger. This Hawk 

 finds, moreover, a singular pleasure in following up 



birds much larger than itself, and, being unable to 

 gain any advantage over them, tries all it can to 

 harass and annoy them. The Numidian Cranes, for 

 instance, are frequently exposed to its malice. Near 

 tbe river Salghir, in the Crimea, I observed a pair 

 of these Ealcons mixing, in true mischievous spirit, 

 with a troup of Cranes who were amusing them- 

 selves by a dance, and enjoying the cruel pleasure 

 of falling, first on one and then on another of these 

 peaceable birds, which proceeding seemed to divert 

 them (the Hawks) exceedingly. A great many pairs 

 of this species of Hawk build every year on the 

 lofty poplars which border the Salghir, near Sym- 

 pheropol." 



By the above notice it would appear that the 

 Hobby generally robs the Crows and Magpies of 

 their nests, but does not always do so. Mr. Harting 

 tells me that the general number of eggs laid is 

 three. The Hobby is common in May upon the 

 Southern Volga, whence a large collection has been 

 forwarded to this country by Herr F. M. Moescbler, 

 a well-known naturalist. Out of this lot are two 

 fine adult birds in my own collection. The sexes 

 are alike ; and, from a number of specimens I have 

 examined, I perceive only a slight preponderance of 

 size in the female Hobby over the male. 



The Hobby feeds principally on small birds, gene- 

 rally larks, and also on insects of various descrip- 

 tions. Radde calls it the Lark-falcon, and records 

 it as being met with on his journey through South 

 and East Siberia ; but be further says his specimen 

 differs very much from European birds, and the 

 same difference is exhibited in the eggs. r (Can 

 Radde's bird be II. set- ems?) As I stated above, 

 Southern Russia seems to be the home of the Hobby, 

 whence it migrates to the east, west, and south. 

 To the eastward it was observed in Oudh in Sept., 

 1S5S, by Captain Irby (vide Ibis, 1861, p. 220), 

 and it visits Lidia in tbe winter. Mr. Blyth 

 remarks that it "visits lower Bengal in the cold 

 season, when it is far from 'common, and has been 

 killed in southern India." Mr. Jerdon makes 

 similar remarks, and says it flies about at dusk ; 

 and Mr. Blyth also tells me that he once shot a 

 Hobby near Calcutta, in the winter, quite in the 

 dusk of the evening, when he was out shooting bats. 

 In China, also, the Hobby is found, according to 

 Mr. Swinhoe {P.Z.S. 1S63, p. 260), who has also 

 observed it in Formosa. He records it from Tientzin, 

 Hankow (Central China), Foochow, and Amoy, in 

 which latter place he says " it is occasionally seen 

 during the winter, but is rare." Schrenk also met 

 with it in Amurland, where he procured examples 

 similar to European specimens ; and this is the 

 farthest limit yet recorded, I believe, as it has not 

 hitherto been met with in Japan. 



Independently of its occurrence in South Russia, 

 it has been recorded from every country in Europe, 

 and is a regular summer migrant. Lord Lilford 



