176 BRITAIN'S BIRDS AND THEIR NESTS. 



devotees of hawking, to which sport it is readily trained. 

 Its flight is of the swift, dashing order, the wings being 

 relatively short. When seen in the open it is easily 

 recognised by this characteristic, and by the marked down- 

 ward angle at which the tail is held during flight. The 

 hunting method of the Sparrow -Hawk is usually that 

 of a sudden dash at the unsuspecting victim. While 

 on the lookout the Hawk flies within a few feet of the 

 ground, and may thus clear a wall or round a haystack 

 into the very midst of a party of small birds having no 

 thought of danger. A victim is instantly selected, seized, 

 and carried off^, the whole manoeuvre being executed 

 in a flash. At these times the Sparrow-Hawk often 

 shows its amazing skill at twisting in and out among 

 branches while going at full speed. Sometimes a solitary 

 bird far from shelter is openly pursued. The attacks 

 are made from behind, not from above, as a Falcon 

 ' stoops."* A flock of small birds, however, will often 

 pursue and mob a Sparrow-Hawk, itself surprised in the 

 open. The exact significance of this is rather doubtful. 

 The obvious popular explanation seems hardly consistent 

 with modern ideas of the working of a bird's mind. 



When the Sparrow-Hawk has once carried off* its prey, 

 it takes it to some sheltered spot where it may be eaten 

 on the ground in peace. The Hawk requires both feet 

 to manage its spoils, and seems unable to perch properly 

 during the process. Otherwise the species is markedly 

 arboreal, and is absent from such treeless localities as the 

 Scottish isles. There and elsewhere the name ' Sparrow- 

 Hawk' is often the popular title of the innocent Kestrel, 

 which is apt to suffer in consequence. 



In nesting habits the Sparrow-Hawk also shows itself 

 an arboreal species. The nest is almost invariably 

 in trees, and is usually the work of the Hawks them- 



