BRITAIN^S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 173 



migrates in winter from the north of Scotland. At that 

 season numbers of birds from northern Europe arrive 

 on our shores, most of them to go still farther. There 

 is no reason why the Kestrel should not be allowed 

 to become even commoner throughout the country than 

 it is at present, because its actions are entirely beneficial 

 to human interests, and it therefore deserves protection. 

 The species is not so very much smaller than the Peregrine, 

 but as a hunter it is an infinitely humbler bird. In 

 southern countries it is even content to chase grass- 

 hoppers and other large insects. With us, small birds 

 are taken to a very slight extent, but the diet consists 

 almost wholly of mice and other small rodents. Thus 

 the bird's further increase would be entirely in the 

 farmer's interests. Nor need the game - preserver have 

 any selfish fears to make him withhold protection from 

 the Kestrels nesting in his woods. For the bird is absolutely 

 harmless to game, unless perhaps a weakly young bird 

 come its way by chance. And yet one may still find 

 many a gamekeeper who knows his business so little as 

 to make it a iiile to shoot everything in the shape of 

 a Bird-of-Prey, and nail up the corpse in his 'larder,' a 

 sort of ' chamber of horrors,' on the side of a shed, or 

 along a row of trees. 



The Kestrel's method of quartering the ground is a 

 matter of common observation. The flight is easy and 

 graceful, and wide circlings are freely indulged in. The 

 rather long tail is held straight out behind. The habit 

 of hanging in one place with rapidly beating Mings is 

 extremely characteristic, and has given rise to the popular 

 name ' Wind-Hover.' The cry is a shrill, short whistle 

 several times repeated. The sexes scarcely differ in size. 



In nesting habits this bird generally resembles its 

 larger and nobler ally. Similar cliff - nesting sites are 



