348 OBSERVATIONS 



bird of prey was rendered very daring and bold by 

 hunger, and that hawks cannot always seize their 

 game when they please. We may farther observe, 

 that they cannot pounce their quarry on the ground, 

 where it might be able to make a stout resistance, 

 since so large a fowl as a pheasant could not but be 

 visible to the piercing eye of a hawk, when hovering 

 over the field. Hence that propensity of cowring 

 and squatting, till they are almost trod on, which, no 

 doubt, was intended as a mode of security : though 

 long rendered destructive to the whole race of gallin(e 

 by the invention of nets and guns. WHITE. 



Of the great boldness and rapacity of birds of prey, 

 when urged on by hunger, I have seen several in- 

 stances ; particularly, when shooting in the winter, 

 in company with two friends, a woodcock flew across 

 us, closely pursued by a small hawk ; we all three 

 fired at the woodcock instead of the hawk, which, 

 notwithstanding the report of three guns close by it, 

 continued its pursuit of the woodcock, struck it 

 down, and carried it off, as we afterwards disco- 

 vered. 



At another time, when partridge -shooting with a 

 friend, we saw a ring-tail hawk rise out of a pit with 

 some large bird in its claws ; though at a great dis- 

 tance, we both fired, and obliged it to drop its prey, 

 which proved to be one of the partridges which we 

 were in pursuit of : and lastly, in an evening, I shot 

 at and plainly saw that I had wounded a partridge, 

 but, it being late, was obliged to go home without 

 finding it again. The next morning, I walked round 

 my land without any gun ; but a favourite old spaniel 

 followed my heels. When I came near the field 

 where I wounded the bird the evening before, I heard 

 the partridges call, and they seemed to be much dis- 

 turbed. On my approaching the bar-way, they all 



