THE SPARROW-HAWK. 



This is a very common species in most of the wooded 

 or enclosed parts of the kingdom, but in the more cham- 

 paign parts it is less frequently observed. Seldom making 

 a nest, it generally takes possession of one which a crow 

 has left. The female is very bold, destroying largely 

 game and young poultry, flying low for this purpose ; 

 snatching up a chick from a brood in an instant, and as 

 quickly out of sight. 



A pair of sparrow-hawks bred in an old crow's nest 

 on a low beech in Selborne Hanger ; and as their brood, 

 which was numerous, began to grow up, they became so 

 daring and ravenous, as to be a terror to all the dames 

 in the village who had charge of either ducklings or 

 chickens. A boy climbed up into a tree, and found the 

 young so fully fledged, that they all escaped, but he 

 observed also that the larder was well stored with pro- 

 visions : he brought down some half-devoured, and 

 a young blackbird, jay, and house-martin, all clean 

 picked. The fact was, that the old birds had made sad 



