AND NEIGHBOUBHOOD. 25 



heard the old and very legitimate name of Windhover 

 applied to the former. With us the Kestrel generally 

 selects an old nest of the Carrion-Crow, or Magpie, in 

 a tall elm, or, if available, a Scotch fir tree, in which 

 to lay, though she sometimes builds a nest for her- 

 self, and sometimes, but in my experience rarely, 

 chooses a hollow tree for her establishment. The 

 eggs are generally four or five (I have known of six 

 in a nest), of a mottled red-brown, but vary greatly 

 in colour and in size. The young birds can generally 

 fly before the end of May ; and as I do my utmost to 

 prevent their destruction, I am often, when at home 

 in the summer months, gratified with the sight of 

 four or five of these pretty and useful birds on wing 

 together. I cannot altogether acquit the Kestrel of 

 an occasional bit of poaching; a small Partridge or 

 Pheasant astray in the grass is no doubt too tempting 

 a morsel to be resisted, but any petty larceny of this 

 sort may well be condoned on account of the great 

 number of field-mice and voles destroyed by these 

 birds. The Kestrel is very easily tamed, and may be 

 kept at liberty when once reclaimed, as it will, in 

 common with most birds of prey, come regularly to 

 call or whistle if fed at the same place and time every 

 day, but it is of no use for falconry, as its natural 

 mode of obtaining its prey, as I have already said, is 

 by taking it from the ground, except in the case of 

 certain winged insects which do not enter into the 

 falconer's list of legitimate " quarry." I am inclined 

 here to enter my protest against a fashion which is 

 only too prevalent of shooting birds for the purpose 

 of making their skins into hand-screens. I have 

 seen portions of Kestrels, Owls, and many other birds 

 (though few so useful as those just named), stuck 



