Hawks and Owls. 47 



which are rather delicate and require a little more care. Firstly, 

 we have the Spakrow Hawk ; this species rarely does well or 

 lives long in confinement and is also extremely wild. It will 

 not live on butcher's meat, and does not care for rats and so 

 small birds are the only food on which it will do well. The 

 Merlin is ' par excellence,' one of the tamest and most delightful 

 of our native Hawks. Young ones reared from the nest make 

 charming pets, but generally die during the winter ; however, if 

 given plenty of tender meat (birds and mice) and kept in an 

 indoor aviary where they can take plenty of exercise during the 

 bad weather they will do fairly well, but I have never found 

 them very long-lived. 



The Hobby, Red-footed Falcon, American Sparrow 

 Hawk (in reality a Kestrel) and several other small species may 

 sometimes be procured. These must all be taken indoors during 

 the winter or a glass front fixed to the aviaries already described. 

 They should be given as many small birds and mice as possible, 

 and also beetles or other similar insects. When given butcher's 

 meat it should be cut up into small pieces. 



Hawks do very much better if kept in separate aviaries, 

 as when several are kept together the strongest almost invariably 

 take the lion's share of the food ; but if several are kept together 

 the same number of pieces of meat must be given as there are 

 birds, no more and no less, for if they are keen on their food, as 

 they should be if in health, they will not settle down to feed till 

 all the food is gathered up and an extra piece leads to fighting 

 and quarrelling. Another reason against keeping several together 

 is that in autumn, when the birds get ravenous, the weaker are 

 almost certain to be partially starved and possibly killed outright, 

 though this is not very often the case. * 



Kites and Vultures have quite different habits and may 

 safely be kept together, as may also Owls, except in spring and 

 autumn, when they must be carefully watched. 



Hawks are said to be extremely shy breeders in confine- 

 ment and, except for the Kestrel which has been known to nest 

 about three times, I can find no records of the successful breeding 

 of other species. Personally I do not think there would be much 

 difficulty in inducing these birds to nest, provided they were 



