334 The Sparrow Hawk 
with him; whereupon the hawk flew to another 
perch, only to be followed in a most tantalizing man- 
ner by the scolding jays. Several times this was 
repeated, the jays following closer and closer each 
time, till at last the hawk became so enraged that 
he made a dash at the nearest jay, striking him with 
his talons in such a way as to pull out a few feathers. 
At this unexpected onslaught of the hawk, the noisy 
band of jays retreated to the forest, leaving ‘‘Killy” 
in the orchard. 
The sparrow hawk, if taken from the nest while 
quite young, becomes one of the most charming of 
bird pets. The beautiful coloring of the feathers, 
the unusual intelligence and the graceful movements 
of the bird endear him to the few who have really 
come to know him. A friend of mine who had a 
tame one several years ago, told me that of all the 
birds he had tamed and loved, he cared most for his 
sparrow hawk. This hawk seemed to show no affec- 
tion for any one but its master; but of him it was very 
fond, often, when he was out in the open field, alighting 
most unexpectedly upon his head or shoulder It 
spent. the greater part of the time about the open 
fields and orchard catching insects and mice; occa- 
sionally it would go to the woods, being absent some- 
times nearly all day. The hawk enjoyed nothing 
