FALCONID. 19 
took a Partridge with a Sparrowhawk of his own 
breaking, ten days after it had been taken wild from 
a wood.* 
The female Sparrowhawk is a much stronger and 
bolder bird than the male, and in rearing these birds 
from the nest it is said the males should be sepa- 
rated very early from the females, otherwise the 
females are sure to destroy and devour the males. 
To show the power of the female Sparrowhawk 
I may relate the following anecdote, which was told 
me by a friend :—His keeper was out in the evening 
roosting in Wood Pigeons, when a cock Pheasant 
went up to roost nearly over his head: soon after 
the Pheasant had settled on his branch a Sparrow- 
hawk made a dash at him and struck him to the 
ground: both birds fell together, and a severe fight 
ensued, which would probably have ended in the 
victory of the Sparrowhawk had not the keeper put 
an end to the fight by shooting the hawk. Hunger 
could hardly have driven the hawk to attack so large 
a bird, as it was afterwards sent to me, and on ex- 
amining its stomach I found it quite full, containing, 
amongst other things, the legs, toes and claws of a 
Missel Thrush, which had probably made its last 
meal. 
Once when fishing in the pond here I saw a House 
, Sparrow save himself most adroitly from the attack 
*. Yarrell, vol. i., p. 75. 
