86 BRITISH BIRDS. [vol. x. 



they get put off their own nest often, they feed on old 

 Pigeons' nests in various parts of the A\ood. Through 

 it all the cock, I think, does most of the hunting. The 

 hen hunts to a certain extent, but only in the neighbour- 

 hood of the nest and chiefly for her own consumption ; 

 at any rate, she always seems now to think of herself 

 first. Careful watching shows that she has favourite 

 feeding-places where she eats what she needs, afterwards 

 taking a perch near and preening herself thoroughly. 



In the hot summer of 1911 I was continually fiiidmg 

 nestling Sparrow-Hawks lying, often alive, under the 

 nests ; most of them were only two or three days old. 

 My watching from huts has never explained this to me, 

 and I put it down to one of two causes. Either the sun 

 struck very hot on the nest and the young wriggled over 

 the side in trying to avoid it while the hen, for some 

 reason or other, was not brooding ; or the yoiuig rolled 

 off the nest when they backed towards the edge to eject 

 dung. At one nest three out of four came to grief and 

 the fourth was reared. 



{To be continued.) 



