30 OUR BIRD ALLIES. 
hundreds of feet above the ground. Its sight is so 
wonderfully keen, however, that even from this great 
height it can discern an insect crawling upon the 
surface of the ground, and swoop with unerring pre- 
cision upon its victim. More astonishing still, per- 
haps, than its mere keenness of sight is the ease with 
which its eyes adapt themselves to the fast-changing 
focus during its rapid descent, serving their owner 
as well when only two inches from the quarry as 
when, hundreds of feet above, they first detected its 
presence. 
Following the fashion set by many of its kin, the 
kestrel is remarkably averse to building a nest upon 
its own account when it can find one ready made 
which will suit its purpose. The deserted abodes of 
jays, magpies, crows, or pigeons, are commonly in 
request, and every nest-hunter knows how frequently 
these “last year’s” tenements will yield the handsome, 
ruddy eggs, which form such conspicuous objects 
in a collection. These eggs are generally five in 
number, one of which is generally much smaller 
than the rest, and the colour and markings are some- 
what variable. The ground colour, however, is almost 
always some shade of reddish-brown, marked with 
darker blotches which differ considerably in size and 
form. 
CLOSELY connected with the hawks are the OwLs, 
those strange creatures of the night which are even 
now regarded in many parts of the country with a 
sort of superstitious reverence. To see an owl is 
