THE SPAREOW-IIAWK. 245 



broken patch of white, which tends to characterise this 

 species particularly. 



The sparrow-hawk is a familiar type of the true 

 hawk. The wings of this bird are short, rounded, hardly 

 reaching to the middle of the tail, which, however, is 

 long. In form it is slender, but elegant. Its flight, 

 Avhen in pursuit of prey, is rapid in the extreme ; but 

 when searching for food, Mr. Macgillivray observes, " it 

 moves along gently and silently, with easy flappings, 

 alternating with short sailings or glidings, its head re- 

 tracted, its tail extended and slightly spread. It often 

 stops, hovers over some spot in a field, supporting itself 

 in the air by a quick but gentle motion of the wings, 

 then moves onwards a himdred yards or so, and again 

 stops to survey the subjacent objects, sometimes remain- 

 ing for a considerable time almost motionless. On some 

 occasions it will perch on a stump tree, or wall, 

 patiently explore the neighbourhood for awhile, until, 

 finding its search v^ain, it will fly off, or, observing a 

 bird, will glide rapidly towards it, and secure it in an 

 instant." "NVilloughby informs us that this bird was used 

 to be trained to the sport, and Bellarius also details a 

 common and familiar way of taking these hawks about 

 the Strait of Propontis, in these words : " Not far dis- 

 tant,*' saith he, " from the outlet of the Euxine Sea, at 

 the entrance of the strait leading to the Propontis, 

 having climbed up a very high hill that is there, by chance 

 we found a fowler on the top, intent upon catching 

 sparrow-hawks. "VNTiereas it was now past mid April, 

 at which time all sorts of birds are wont to be very 

 busy in building their nests or breeding, it seemed to 

 us wonderful, strange, and unusual, to see such a multi- 

 tude of kites and hawks coming flying from the right 



