The Sparrow-hawk. 67 



nest. It is invariably placed in a tree, and usually 

 at a great height. 



The eggs, which are from, three to five in number, are 

 laid at intervals of two days. They are very striking 

 in appearance, being of bluish- white in ground colour, 

 and boldly marked with large blotches of bright chest- 

 nut. The markings vary considerably in extent and 

 outline. The young are hatched in from five to six 

 weeks, and during this time the female sits very 

 closely. When first hatched the young are covered 

 with yellowish down. They eat voraciously, and are 

 well supplied with food by the parent birds, which 

 often surround and even cover the nest with their 

 captives, both feathered and furred. The female is 

 very bold and fearless when she has young, and on 

 returning with food to her offspring she often falls 

 a victim to a shot from the keeper, who is lying 

 hidden beneath the nest. The male bird is much 

 more shy, and more difficult to bring to book, and, 

 although he continues to feed the young after the 

 death of his mate, if he should scent danger, he will 

 drop food into the nest from above, to satisfy the 

 cravings of the hungry brood. 



The young may be easily reared, and they become 

 very tame in captivity. When they are growing 

 strong, however, the females should be kept from 

 the males, because, as is the case in most of the 



