THE HOBBY 263 



and departing in October. Only rarely is a Hobby 

 seen in our islands between November and March 

 inclusive. 



By reason of its stretch of wing the Hobby 

 flying gives one the impression of being far bigger 

 than it really is. When at rest, it is quite small, 

 reaching little more than a foot in length, although 

 the female, following the custom of the hawk tribe, 

 is somewhat the larger and finer creature. Small 

 though it be, it may well stand for all that is 

 aristocratic, comely, refined and graceful in the 

 feathered creation. ' Little but good " is an adage 

 well applied to the Hobby : the Hobby is fierce and 

 forceful beneath a gentle demeanour and dainty 

 figure. Few birds can vie with it in repose of 

 manner, none in the agile decisiveness of its 

 flight. 



The Hobby 's plumage is plain, yet pleasing. The 

 back and wings are darkly slaty, the head being 

 slightly darker, the cheeks creamy- white with a 

 dusky moustachial streak : the throat is practically 

 white, as are its breast and belly, the two latter 

 parts being nicely streaked with black, a pattern 

 which suggests a stomacher of ermine, while the 

 thigh-plumes and under tail-coverts are orange- 

 brown. Until fully adult plumage is obtained and 

 the Hobby takes nearly two years at least to acquire 

 it, though like the Kestrel and Sparrow-Hawk, it 

 will breed in its first year's garb the slatiness of 

 the upper-parts inclines to brownish, especially 



