THE SPARROW-HAWKS. 1 45 



from its retreat and snatching unsuspecting birds on the trees 

 or in the hedgerows. A Falcon will not pursue a bird which 

 has taken refuge in a tree, but I have seen a Sparrow-Hawk 

 follow a Blackbird through a tangled willow-thicket, doubling 

 as its quarry doubled, till it drove it out across the river and 

 might have caught it, had I not been interested in the changes 

 of plumage which the species undergoes, and to which I 

 have alluded above. As it was, I forgot for the moment all 

 about the Ducks I had been waiting for so long, and bagged 

 the Sparrow-Hawk for the British Museum, where it is still. 



The dread with which the bird is regarded by all the smaller 

 species shows that they hold the Sparrow-Hawk in consider- 

 able awe, though Swallows and Martins will mob it freely as 

 it crosses from one wood to another. Its method of capturing 

 small birds is, however, mostly by seizing them unexpectedly, 

 before they have time to escape by hiding. Thus the Hawk 

 will fly along the side of a wood or hedgerow, and suddenly 

 snatch a small bird from the twig on which it sits singing, or 

 drop down on it as it crouches in the grass. Besides small 

 birds, it also catches mice and rats, but it can be very destruc- 

 tive to chickens and young Pheasants and Partridges, and is, 

 therefore, shot and trapped by keepers on every occasion. 



Nest. — The Sparrow-Hawk breeds in May, and usually, Mr. 

 Seebohm says invariably, builds its own nest, which is composed 

 of sticks, and the tree selected appears to vary according to 

 locality, for whereas Mr. Seebohm gives preference to the oak, 

 as the favourite tree selected by the bird, he mentions also 

 the alder, and not unfrequently a pine-tree as a nesting-site. 

 My own experience in Hampshire, where I have taken many 

 nests at Avington, is in favour of the last-named tree, and I 

 never remember the nest being built in any other. It is always 

 placed at a considerable height, and near the trunk. The 

 female sits very close, and I remember one occasion, when 

 three of us had come out to take the nest and shoot the old 

 birds. After clapping our hands and knocking the tree to 

 see if the old bird was on the nest, we were preparing to take 

 up our stations to await its return, when it occurred to me to 

 see if I could hit the nest with a pine branch which was lying 

 near. My first attempt sent it smartly against the bottom of 



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