SOME BRITISH BIRDS OF PREY. ET 
in a moment he closes his wings and drops like a stone, 
but within a few feet of the ground he gives a rapid beat 
of his wings, hovers for a moment, clutches his prey in his 
strong talons, and is soon out of sight. 
The question of the migration of the Kestrels is still a 
debateable point, for, although numbers do leave us at the 
approach of Winter, I am inclined to think that the 
migration of the old birds beyond this country is compara- 
tively rare. Still, I have seen as many as 15 Kestrels, in 
Autumn, in the Marsh Marazion: what were they doing if 
not migrating? It is very rash to say that any bird does 
not migrate, or at least shifts its domicile. The food of 
the Kestrel is composed almost exclusively of mice, moles, 
beetles, and caterpillers, and it is urged that an absence of 
these creatures in the winter makes migration to a warmer 
climate compulsory, where his chief article of diet is locusts. 
This seems very probable, yet many well-known keen 
observers assert that in Yorkshire and in the Dales of the 
Peak of Derbyshire, where Kestrels are numerous, they 
have never noticed any diminution in the number of 
Kestrels in Winter from those which in the Summer are 
to be seen hovering over the fields. 
The Sparrow Hawk is of all the Hawks the most daring 
and spirited. Fear is unknown to the Sparrow Hawk, for 
he has been known to attack the Golden Eagle. He is 
widely distributed in these Isles, and is generally found in 
wooded districts. His method of hunting differs from that 
pursued by the Kestrel. He generally takes up a position 
in some high tree or projection from whence he looks out 
for his prey. 
The Goshawk is now very rare in these parts, for he 
has been killed off so effectually that we have only 
occasional visits from migratory birds. 
The Barn Owl is probably the best known of all the 
Owls, and it is resident in this country throughout the 
