HABITS OF SPARROW-HAWK. 



33 



VOL. X.] 



brings a bird to the nest, the hen ahnost invariably 

 takes it with the foot (Fig. 3). Sometimes she leaves 

 the nest and carries it away for a minute or two. Once 

 I saw her pick the bird up and carry it away with 

 her bill, but she returned with it in her foot. In the 



Fig. 5. SPARROW-HAWK. 

 A pause in a meal. 

 (Photographed by J. H. Owen.) 



early stages of the nestling period she tears a morsel off 

 the prey and holds it to a youngster's bill (Fig. 4) ; 

 it is grabbed and jerked down. Later she tears a bit 

 off and lifts her head, and there is a simultaneous grab 

 at it by all the yomig. She prefers to do the carving 

 herself right up to the end of the nestling period, but 



