WILD SPORTS OF THE HIGHLANDS 



passing the corner of the house, I have been startled by a 

 sparrowhawk gliding rapidly past me. Once one came so 

 close to me, that his wing actually brushed my arm; the 

 hawk being in full pursuit of an unfortunate blackbird. On 

 another occasion,a sparrowhawkpursued a pigeon through 

 the drawing-room window, and out at the other end of the 

 house througrh another window, and never slackened his 

 pursuit, notwithstanding the clattering of the broken glass 

 of the two windows they passed through. But the most ex- 

 traordinary instance of impudence in this bird that I ever 

 met with, was one day finding a sparrowhawk deliberately 

 standingona very large pouter-pigeon on thedrawing-room 

 floor, and plucking it, having entered in pursuit of the un- 

 fortunate bird through an open window, and killed him in 

 the room. 



The sparrowhawk sometimes builds on rocks, and some- 

 times in trees. Like all rapacious birds, he is most destruct- 

 ive during the breeding season. I have found a great quan- 

 tity of remains of partridges, wood-pigeons, and small birds 

 about their nests; though it has puzzled me to understand 

 how so small a bird can convey a wood-pigeon to its young 

 ones.There is more difference in size between the male and 

 female sparrowhawk than between the different sexes of 

 any other birds of the hawk kind, the cock bird being not 

 nearly so large or powerful a bird as the hen. Supposing 

 either male or female sparrowhawk to be killed during the 

 time of incubation, the survivor immediately finds a new 

 mate, who goes on with the duties of the lost bird, what- 

 ever staee of the business is being carried on at the time, 

 whether sitting on the eggs or rearing the young. 



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