162 THE ANIMALS OP NEW ZEALAND 



A pair of bnsh-hawks have been known to assail human beings 

 for two hours while in the neighbourhood of their young, with 

 savage and threatening tones. \]p the Waio River, at breeding 

 time, bush-hawks have often chased cattle dogs to the shelter of 

 the stockman's horse. 



"One day," says Sir Julius Von Haast, in his Journal of 

 Exploration in the Nelson Province, "while I was walking along 

 near the margin of the forest in Camp Valley, my hat was sud- 

 denly knocked off my head, and at the same time I heard a shrill 

 cry. On looking up I found it was one of those courageous little 

 sparrow-hawks which had attacked me, and which, after sitting 

 for a moment or two on a bough, again pounced on me ; and^ 

 although I had a long compass-stick in my hand, Avith which I 

 tried to knock it down, it repeated its attacks several times." 



The same writer gives another instance of the courage 

 displayed by these birds. A large white heron, standing in the 

 water, was attacked by three hawks at once, and they made 

 frequent and well-concerted charges upon him from different 

 cpiarters. — "It was admirable to behold the white heron, with his 

 head laid back, darting his pointed beak at his foes with the 

 swiftness of an arrow, while they, with the utmost agility, avoided 

 the spear of their strong adversary, whom at last they were fain 

 to leave unmolested." 



Another day, in the same neighbourhood, a cormorant, passing- 

 near a tree on which two sparrow-hawks were sitting, was 

 pounced upon by them, and put to hasty Hight, with a shrill cry of 

 terror, followed closely by the small, but fierce foes ; and all 

 three were soon out of sight. 



The nests of these little falcons are placed sometimes on the 

 top of an old dead tree stem, sometimes in a hanging mass of 

 climbers, and sometimes on the ground. 



