18 Baby Birds at Home 



three inches longer, and nearly twice his 

 weight. 



This species breeds in woods. Its nest is 

 built of sticks and twigs, and is large and 

 shallow. Sometimes it is in the fork of a 

 tree, and at others on a strong, horizontal 

 branch. 



The eggs, numbering from four to six, are 

 white, tinged with blue or bluish green, 

 boldly marked with pale and rich dark brown 

 spots and blotches. 



Baby Sparrow Hawks are covered with 

 white fluffy down when they are hatched, 

 and when seen in the nest, they remind one 

 of a collection of powder-puffs in a basket. 

 A Sparrow Hawk household is rather like 

 a human one. The father bird does all the 

 hunting after food, whilst the mother stays 

 at home and looks after the chicks. She 

 takes up her station on some dead tree, or 

 stump that will afford her a good outlook, 

 and is not too far from the nest. When 

 her mate returns home with food, she takes 

 it from him and divides it amongst the 

 chicks, and if you are hiding anywhere near 

 the nest, you can hear the chittering wel- 

 come they give their mother on her arrival. 



