176 THE Birps Asout Us. 
pauses motionless in mid-air, and then with a quick 
vibrating of the wings remains in the one position 
until satisfied. No! it was not a mouse that time, 
and on he goes. At short intervals this poising 
above the ground is followed by a sudden earthward 
swoop, but the bird comes up again with empty 
talons. Again and again this happens, and mouse 
the first is well digested before mouse the second is 
captured. The ‘“ unerring aim” is all moonshine, but 
there are plenty of lucky swoops, and never a spar- 
row-hawk went hungry for long. 
These little falcons build in trees, using some com- 
modious hollow that perhaps an owl has occupied 
before them, and here they lay pretty eggs and raise 
an interesting brood. When nearly ready to fly the 
young may be tamed thoroughly, and make very 
amusing but somewhat troublesome pets. One that I 
had was allowed to alight upon the top of my head, 
and, bending over, make believe to kiss me. This 
habit led to perching upon the heads of strangers, and 
when at last it carried off my uncle’s wig and left it 
dangling in the top of the tall cypress, well out of 
reach, it was decided that a tame sparrow-hawk 
might be a nuisance. 
Dr. Coues says of this bird, very truly and descrip- 
tively, — 
“The prettiest and jauntiest of our hawks and yet no prig; a true 
falcon, if a little one, with as noble mien and as much pluck as the 
best among his larger brethren, we can but admire him.” 
It seems scarcely necessary to enter into any de- 
tails concerning the familiar Fish-hawk. Wherever 
they are found they are recognized as harmless,—as 
