FIRST APPEARANCES OP BIRDS, INSECTS, ETC. 179 



fraction of a second, when he dropped his prey 

 and flashed out over the top of W.P.C.'s tent. 

 The young had progressed very fast and were 

 fledging on their backs, and their quills and 

 tail feathers were very apparent. 

 11 a.m. female came to the nest, and, not with- 

 standing that we had turned the tree, she pitched 

 on the side furthest from us, and managed to 

 keep a bough between herself and the tents. 

 She stayed about two minutes and a half tearing 

 up food and feeding the young from her bill ; 

 she then departed, leaving the young to pick 

 the remnants of the prey. 

 11.30. female brought prey in her claws, but we 

 could not see what the prey was. E.H.C. knew 

 that one of the parents was near, as the young 

 were expectant and started calling kerwee, 

 kerwee. They made much more noise than 

 they did a few days ago. The female stayed 

 about a couple of minutes feeding the young, 

 As to the habits of the male Sparrow Hawk to- 

 wards his offspring, the statement that the 

 male prepares the food and gives it to the 

 female, and that only the female comes to the 

 nest, is a fallacy. We think both birds bring 

 the food to the nest, but that the female usually 

 does the tearing up. Keeper Wren says the 

 male comes to the nest with food and attends 

 the young with food after they leave the nest ; 

 and probably he is one of the few keepers that 

 have observed the behaviour of hawks excepting 

 "under fire." 



At 12.5 female came into the wood with prey. 

 E.H.C. saw her circling above the trees, then 

 she flew round from tree to tree, staying a little 

 while on each, probably to pluck the prey. 

 During this time the young kept up their cries. 



