FALCON JD.E. 51 



busli, and is composed of slender sticks. They lay 

 from four to six eggs. 



The type of tlie race is — 



The Sparrow-Hawk {Accipiter nisus), one of the 

 nuist abundant of our British Hawks. It is exceedingly 

 elegant in its form, and active iii its habits, the length 

 9f its wmgs permitting it to fly with great rapidity, 

 while its broad and powerful tail enables it to perform 

 astonishing evolutions. When hunting for its prey, it 

 usually glides swiftly along at the height of only a few 

 feet from the ground, occasionally passing up one side of 

 a hedge and do^\al another. It sometimes pursues birds 

 upon the wing, but usually pounces upon them while 

 resting either upon the ground, or on the branch of a 

 tree or bush. 



Of all the smaller European birds of prey, the Spar- 

 row-Hawk is one of the boldest and most intrepid ; 

 unlike many of the true Falcons of its own size, which 

 live in a great measure upon insects, it preys almost 

 exclusively upon feathered game, and hence is peculiarly 

 obnoxious in preserves, especially dining the breeding- 

 season. Quick-eyed and rapid, it darts upon its quarry 

 like an arrow, and pursues it with unrelenting perti- 

 nacity, undaunted even by the presence of man, to whom 

 the terrified fugitive has often been known to trust in 

 the desperate emergency — indeed many instances are on 

 record of the Lark or the Pigeon rushing into houses 

 through the open windows, followed by their undaunted 

 foe. 



The flight of the Sparrow- Hawk is not of that soarmg 

 character which distinguishes the true Falcons. Instead 

 of descending on its prey from aloft, and striking it 

 down, or, if missing the stroke, mounting again and 

 repeating the assault, it darts at it without rising to any 

 altitude, and follows up the chase until able to efiect its 

 capture. 



The Sparrow-Hawk is universally but moderately 

 distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. It 

 builds its nest in trees ; the eggs are generally four in 

 number, of a dull bluish-white marked with angular red 

 blotches. 



