118 BIEDS OF TUNISIA 



Its flight, when hunting for food, is generally close to the ground, 

 over which it glides rapidly, but without apparent effort, from time to 

 time swerving aside, for the closer inspection of some bush or corner 

 likely to hold its prey. This it always strikes with its talons and 

 devours on the ground, leaving a little heap of feathers, or fur, as a 

 sad testimony of its handiwork. 



When nesting, the Sparrow-Hawk may often be seen soaring at a 

 considerable altitude above the wood which holds its eyrie. This is 

 usually placed in a high tree, and is, as a rule, built by the bird itself, 

 although occasionally it is said to use the old nest of some other bird, 

 such as the Crow or Wood-Pigeon. In Tunisia, Baron v. Erlanger 

 met with nests of this Hawk in Aleppo-pine trees, at a height of from 

 twenty to twenty-five feet above the ground, built close to the trunk, 

 and composed of pine twigs, the shallow interior being lined with small 

 pieces of bark ; the eggs, or nestlings in the nest, were two or three 

 in number. Eggs of this species in my collection from Central 

 Tunisia, obtained in May, do not differ from European examples, 

 being of a pale greenish-white, with faint lilac shell-marks and large 

 surface-blotches of rufous-brown ; the average measurements are 

 40 X 3'250 mm. The nesting-season of the Sparrow-Hawk in Tunis 

 appears to extend over April and May, and during this season it is 

 said to utter a soft note, like " gn, gu, gu," but its usual alarm-note is 

 a shrill " Ja-lck " repeated two or three times. 



Baron v. Erlanger has separated the Tunisian Sparrow-Hawk from 

 typical A. nisus, calling it Accipiter nisus punicti.t (J. f. 0. 1898, 

 p. 429). I have not a sufticient series of adult specimens from Tunisia 

 to be able to speak authoritatively on the point, but judging from the 

 examples I possess, and knowing as we do what a great variation there 

 is in the plumage and marking of this species, I see no reason for 

 separating it. 



Mr. Dresser, in his article on A. nisus (Birds Eur. v. p. 616), after 

 devoting several pages to descriptions of birds of this species from 

 different parts of the world, concludes as follows : " After a careful 

 study of the present species, which has occupied us nearly two months, 

 we have to regret that the material examined has not proved sufticient 

 to give any definite result regarding the Sparrow-Hawk, &c." 



