SPARROWHAWKc 65 



LETTER VI. 



" The thieves have bound the true men : Now could thou and I rob 

 the thieves !" — King Henry IV. 



The Sparrowhawk pre-eminently a Bird-destroyer — 

 Adaptation of Structure to Habits — Separation of 

 the Sexes during Winter — Recklessness when in 

 pursuit of its Prey — Anecdote — Injurious to fea- 

 thered Game in the Breeding-season — Remarkable 

 Instance of Voracity — A Family of Poachers : 

 their depredations — Capture of the Gang. 



As the windhover is the most insectivorous, harm- 

 less, and even nseful of onr native Falconidse, so 

 the sparrowhawk (Accijnter nisus) in proportion 

 to its size and powers, is the most carnivorous of 

 the family. Unlike the kestrel, it prefers birds 

 to quadrupeds, and from its great courage and 

 audacity, as well as a silent and stealthy mode of 

 approaching its unsuspecting victims, its depreda- 

 tions among the feathered tribes far exceed those 

 of any of our raptorial birds. By the way, the 

 form of the foot and length of the toes appear to 

 furnish a tolerable indication of the characteris- 

 tic propensities of several species in this family. 



