138 RIVERBY 



had been, as probably there was, an interval of a 

 day or two between the hatching of each. 



The two older ones showed some signs of fear on 

 our approach, and one of them threw himself upon 

 his back, and put up his impotent legs, and glared 

 at us with open beak. The two smaller ones re- 

 garded us not at all. Neither of the parent birds 

 appeared during our stay. 



When I visited the nest again, eight or ten days 

 later, the birds were much grown, but of as marked 

 a difference in size as before, and with the same look 

 of extreme old age, old age in men of the aquiline 

 type, nose and chin coming together, and eyes large 

 and sunken. They now glared upon us with a wild, 

 savage look, and opened their beaks threateningly. 



The next week, when my friend visited the nest, 

 the larger of the hawks fought him savagely. But 

 one of the brood, probably the last to hatch, had 

 made but little growth. It appeared to be on the 

 point of starvation. The mother hawk (for the 

 male seemed to have disappeared) had doubtless 

 found her family too large for her, and was deliber- 

 ately allowing one of the number to perish; or did 

 the larger and stronger young devour all the food 

 before the weaker member could obtain any ? Prob- 

 ably this was the case. 



Arthur brought the feeble nestling away, and the 

 same day my little boy got it and brought it home, 

 wrapped in a woolen rag. It was clearly a starved 

 bantling. It cried feebly, but would not lift up its 

 head. 



