The Sparrow Hawk. 275 



gap or gateway, skimming along the surface of the adjacent 

 fields, it dashes along, and not seldom pounces upon some 

 unwan- small bird, strikes it dead with one movement, and bears 

 it off. Scarcely any small bird is exempt from capture if it is 

 out in the open, and cannot reach the shelter of bush or hedge 

 in time. Notwithstanding the trivial name of this hawk, the 

 ordinary house sparrows are, perhaps, less frequently caught 

 than most other small birds, whereas the kestrel takes them quite 

 commonly. Another way in which the male sparrow hawk is 

 often successful in catching a bird is to glide through some open- 

 ing in a large, thick tree, and snap up a victim on the other side. 

 The female, as a rule, seeks a somewhat different class of 

 prey. Being fully twice as large and proportionately more 

 powerful than the male, she is able to take much bigger birds 

 than her rather diminutive partner. Her habits are also a little 

 modified to suit. While never declining to snatch a small bird 

 should the opportunity be tempting, the female likes best to 

 catch something more bulky. The great natural enemy of the 

 wood pigeon in this country is the female sparrow hawk. I 

 well remember hiding once to shoot wood pigeons, having set 

 out a stuffed specimen as a decoy. While patiently waiting 

 there was a rush of wings, and a big female sparrow hawk 

 knocked my stuffed pigeon several yards away, but without 

 making her clutch good. Wheeling round with great rapidity 

 she came at the stuffed bird again, but without hitting out a 

 second time, she CAidently, from her very palpable look of 

 astonishment, as she hovered for a second or two, decided 

 there was something wrong, and made her way at once. I 

 was so interested in the whole sudden incident that I never 

 thought of firing at the haw^k, and it flew off unharmed. 



The great flocks of lapwings that gather in autumn con- 

 stantly furnish food to the sparrow hawks, which are never verv 

 far away when lapwings are numerous. 



Both sexes of this Vjird have one particular trait that has 

 incurred to them the uni\-ersal hate and enmity of gamekeepers. 

 Once they ascertain that pheasant chicks are to be had bv a 

 sudden raid across the rearing field, they will be daily visitors, 

 and will only cease the practice when shot. And they are very 

 difficult to shoot in such a case. Whether they know that danger 

 may be doubted, hut it is a fact, that when stealing pheasant 



