132 SPARROW-HAWK. 
as evinced in pursuit of its prey, the latter sometimes manage 
to rush into covert, or crouch very close to the ground, in 
time to save their lives. In one instance, considerable stratagy 
has been witnessed on both sides—a thrush, pursued by one 
of these birds over the sea, made the most strenuous efforts 
to gain a wood on the land, but her retreat was each time 
cut off by the Hawk, until the former took refuge on the 
mast of a steamer: the pirate dashed boldly after his prize, 
and was with difficulty scared from seizing it there and then. 
Bafiled for the moment, he flew off himself to the wood, but 
on the poor thrush after some time, but alas! too soon, leaving 
her asylum and making for the shore, he was observed to sally 
from his ambush, and secure his reprieved victim. A lark thus 
harried has been known to make several attempts to fly into 
the breast of a gentleman—a swallow to find an actual 
sanctuary in that of a lady. 
The author of the ‘Journal of a Naturalist,’ confirms the 
idea that their prey are sometimes fascinated by Hawks, by 
the following fact:—‘A beautiful male bullfinch, that sat harm- 
lessly pecking the buds from a blackthorn by my side, when 
overlooking the work of a labourer, suddenly uttered the 
instinctive moan of danger, but made no attempt to escape 
into the bush, seemingly deprived of the power of exertion; 
on looking round, a Sparrow-Hawk was observed, on motionless 
wing, gliding rapidly along the hedge, and passing me, rushed 
on its prey with undeviating certainty.’ 
‘In pursuit of prey,’ says Bishop Stanley, ‘they will not 
unfrequently evince great boldness. We knew of one which 
darted into an upper room, where a goldfinch was suspended 
in a cage, and it must have remained there some time, and 
continued its operations with great perseverance, as on the 
entrance of the lady to whom the poor bird belonged, it was 
found dead and bleeding at the bottom, and its feathers 
plentifully scattered about.’ See, however, the effect—the good 
effect, of education. ‘Even the Sparrow-Hawk,’ says the same 
kind-hearted writer, ‘which by some has been considered of so 
savage and wild a nature, as to render all means for taming 
it hopeless, has nevertheless, in the hands of more able or 
more patient guardians, proved not only docile, but amiable 
in its disposition. About four years ago, a young Sparrow- 
Hawk was procured and brought up by a person who was 
fond of rearing a particular breed of pigeons, which he greatly 
prized on account of their rarity. By good management and 
