The Sparrow-hawk. 67 
nest. It is invariably placed in a tree, and usually 
at a great height. 
The eggs, which are from three to five in number, are 
laid at intervals of two days. They are very striking 
in appearance, being of bluish-white in ground colour, 
and boldly marked with large biotches of bright chest- 
- nut. The markings vary considerably in extent and 
outline. The young are hatched in from five to six 
weeks, and during this time the female sits very 
closely. When first hatched the young are covered 
with yellowish down. They eat voraciously, and are 
well supplied with food by the parent birds, which 
often surround and even cover the nest with their 
captives, both feathered and furred. -The female is 
very bold and fearless when she has young, and on 
returning with food to her offspring she often falls 
a victim to a shot from the keeper, who is lying 
hidden beneath the nest. The male bird is much 
more shy, and more difficult to bring to book, and, 
although he continues to feed the young after the 
death of his mate, if he should scent danger, he will 
drop food into the nest from above, to satisfy the 
cravings of the hungry brood. 
The young may be easily reared, and they become 
very tame in captivity. When they are growing 
strong, however, the females should be kept from 
the males, because, as is the case in most of the 
