140 KNOWING BIRDS THROUGH' STORIES 



the pigeon hawk kill larger chickens and they do it the 

 same way. Always the top of the head was torn off. It seems 

 remarkable that these birds know that the brain is a vital 

 spot and that of all the brain the medulla is the most vital. 

 Fleetwing and his mate raised five as sturdy youngsters as a 

 sparrow hawk could desire, and I did not succeed in get- 

 ting any of them. 



In spite of their method of feeding sparrow hawks are 

 wonderful creatures. They alternate in sitting, the mother 

 bird sitting perhaps no more than her mate. They are 

 equally alert and apparently equally successful hunters. 

 They show strong affection for each other, and while one 

 is sitting the other is quite sure to bring food at least once 

 every two or three hours. I have seen Fleetwing carry, 

 food to his sitting mate frequently, but no more frequently 

 than I have seen her carry food to him when he was per- 

 forming the same duty. 



When the youngsters were able to leave the nest the 

 parents began systematic teaching. The youngsters were 

 taken to the middle of a large pasture where the whole 

 family alighted on the ground. The first lesson consisted 

 in hunting beetles, grasshoppers, and crickets. Evidently 

 insects are considered an important item of food because 

 they are so easy to catch, and the youngsters must learn 

 what to do for a dinner in an emergency. A bird would 

 perch on a tall weed, or skip from weed to weed watching 

 the ground intently. Every few moments it would pounce 

 on a grasshopper or a butterfly. 



Next they were taught to hunt mice. Then father and 

 mother would hover over the meadow and the young birds 

 Boon joined in the game. A hawk would fly over the 

 meadow until something attracted his attention below. 



