64 Forest Birds. 



suddenly hurls itself at it like a stone from a catapult, 

 never failing to strike its mark. Sometimes as it 

 glides over the top of a hedge it will hover for a 

 moment as though suspended in the air, seemingly 

 not quite sure if it were a bird or twig that it caught 

 sight of in the hedge below. When chasing its prey 

 this hawk is very bold and persistent, often dashing 

 after some small bird into the thickest part of a 

 hedge, or even through an open window. The bird 

 figured on the right-hand side of the accompanying 

 plate was stunned by dashing itself against a 

 window while chasing a small bird, which suddenly 

 dodged aside. 



We well remember just at dawn one morning in 

 the middle of winter, whilst we were lying in wait 

 for duck and geese on the marsh, hearing a shrill 

 screaming behind us, and turning round we saw, 

 through the morning mist, a redshank flying rapidly 

 towards us, and just behind, following its every turn, 

 was a Sparrow-hawk. So intent were they upon 

 their race that both birds passed right over us. We 

 fired at the hawk, but although we did not bring it 

 to the ground our shot so disconcerted it, that it gave 

 up the chase, and the redshank escaped. 



The Sparrow-hawk seizes its prey with both feet, 

 and devours it upon the ground. A heap of feathers 

 and the skeleton of a bird are often seen in some 



