SPARROW-HAWK. 153 



provender for the young, We know the locality 

 of the nest, and this prey, which must have been 

 brought from a considerable distance, will tell 

 strongly in favour of her strength. The breeding 

 site is always, except in peculiar districts, chosen 

 in a wood ; it is placed about middle height in 

 the trees, and is rather a loose and careless fabric, 

 composed of sticks and twigs built on a straggling 

 base. The eggs are from three to five, bluish- 

 white, with large brown blotches. Previous to, 

 and when the nest is building, the birds may be 

 seen in the vicinity soaring at a moderate height 

 in circles, diving and sporting in the air. When 

 incubation commences, the female is shy ; but as 

 time runs, she becomes wedded to her task, and 

 will allow a near approach. The male does not 

 watch, and an intruder does not call forth those 

 vehement screams and dashes of despair or anger 

 which we see in the true Falcons. Here, the 

 disposition is more phlegmatic, and it is only 

 when the young can exert their voice, that any 

 approach to the nest is marked, and even then 

 great caution is displayed. In rocky situations 

 the nest is placed on some ledge or shelve, or in 

 a skreen of ivy ; it is built in the same manner, 

 and is tenanted by birds of like dispositions. Mr 

 Thompson, however, states that an ornithological 



