62 



BRITISH BIRDS. 



[vol. X. 



After the young have all been hatched a few days, the 

 hen is usually off to him like a flash when she hears this 

 note, but should she not go to him, he comes nearer and 

 changes liis call to " key-oo, key-oo, kew-kew-kew," the 

 " key-oo " being very plaintive and the " kew " rather 

 shriller than before. If there is still no answer, he will 

 come nearer and at intervals use the same cry, which 

 becomes more and more plaintive and wailing. If the 



Fig. 1. SPARROW-HAWK. 



" The cock is seldom still aud the heu moves to take the food as he conies." 



[Photographed by J. H. Owen.) 



hen still does not go to him or take any notice, he seems 

 to make up his mind to come to the nest, but first he 

 gets into the nearest tree to the nest upwind and makes 

 a last appeal with much of the plamt gone from his note. 

 If there is no answer, you soon hear a gentle swish of 

 wings, a soft and rather pleasant " ki-ki-ki," and he 

 arrives at the nest with a bird. His stay varies from 

 a small fraction of a second to five seconds, and he is 

 seldom still, and the hen moves to take the food as 

 he comes (Fig. 1). As a rule he just drops the bird and 



