12 THE BOOK OF A NATURALIST 



feathers out himself or else swallow them along 

 with the flesh; the next stage would be that the 

 bird would be delivered alive, but partially disabled, 

 and he would have to kill it himself; finally, he 

 would have to capture his own prey the last and 

 most difficult lesson of all. 



That they were still kept on short commons was 

 evident from the perpetual hunger-cries of the 

 young when they returned each evening to their 

 roosting-place in the wood. From the moment of 

 their arrival an hour before sunset, until it was 

 almost dark, the clamour went on, the young 

 birds following their parents the whole time. 

 This continued for a fortnight, and during the 

 last few evenings the parent birds introduced yet 

 another new subject or feature into their educa- 

 tional system. They would rise over the trees, 

 both male and female, but keeping wide apart, 

 followed by the clamouring young; and floating 

 and circling up with easy harrier-like movement, 

 they would mount to a height of two or three 

 hundred yards above the tree-tops, then suddenly 

 hurl themselves down like stones and vanish 

 among the trees, still followed at a long distance 

 by the young. Once down beneath the tree-tops 

 it was marvellous to see them, dashing at their 

 topmost sparrow-hawk speed hither and thither 

 among the tall, naked boles, with many sudden 

 sharp twistings which apparently just enabled 

 them to escape being dashed to death against a 

 trunk or branch. Every time I witnessed this 



