28 HOBBY 



same wood one day last spring, each containing three eggs. 

 They were all old Carrion Crows' nests, in oak trees. Mr 

 Norgate robbed them earlier in the spring, on purpose to 

 leave the nests empty for the Hobbies to take possession of. 

 Two of them contained Carrion Crows' eggs, and the other 

 those of the Kestrel. When he afterwards visited the nests 

 he found them all tenanted by Hobbies. In none of the 

 three cases did they appear to have added any fresh lining 

 to the nests. On approaching each of them he found one 

 of the parent birds, probably the male, perched in an adjoin- 

 ing tree. He flew off before the female left the nest ; and 

 whilst Norgate was climbing the trees both parents flew 

 round in an excited and alarmed manner, sometimes diving 

 amongst the brushwood, and occasionally very near him, so 

 that he could see their colours very distinctly. Their cries 

 reminded him very much of those of the Kestrel. In one 

 of the nests and on the ground near another were feathers 

 of the Swallow." 



The eggs are seldom laid before the first week in June, 

 and often not till the end, and are usually three in number ; 

 they are of rather a short and oval shape, and of a dingy 

 white, or bluish white ground colouring, much speckled all 

 over with reddish or yellowish brown. 



Mr. Hewitson describes the eggs generally as being very 

 much like some of those of the Kestrel, as well as those of 

 the Merlin ; but says that they are larger than either ; of a 

 pinker hue, less suffused with colour, and marked with fewer 

 of the small black dots which are scattered over the surface 

 of the others. 



The young remain for some time in the neighbourhood of 

 the nest, until they have gradually learned to cater for 

 themselves. 



