H A W K. 



713 



bluish grey ; in others brown, edged with brownish 

 red ; the under parts of the female are more fully 

 marked with minute undulated lines of deep brown ; 

 the male is inclined to rust colour on the breast, 

 which in the other is whitish ; on the back of the 

 head, in both sexes, is an obscure broken patch of 

 white ; the quills dusky, barred with black on the 

 outer webs, and spotted with white at the base of the 

 inner ; the tail, like the back, with broad bars of 

 dusky black, the extreme point whitish ; the legs are 

 yellow, long, and slender. 



Sparr.nv Haxvk. 



The sparrow-hawk is well known for the extent 

 and boldness of its depredations on poultry-ya'rds, 

 and the immense number of birds whi<;h it kills and 

 eats in the fields and copses ; but though in boldness, 

 and slightly in its style of flight, it has a trace of re- 

 semblance to the smaller falcons, its general nature 

 arid habit are totally different. The falcons, if their 

 prey is not killed by the stroke, instantly kill it out- 

 right, by breaking the skull or dislocating the neck 

 before they begin to pat ; and this is also known to 

 be the case with the typical eagles ; for, though those 

 eagles which have a strong trace of the vulture in 

 them begin eating their living prey as if it were 

 carrion, the " respectable" eagles never touch theirs 

 with the beak until the gripe of the talons has put an 

 end to its life. The sparrow-hawk has also this 

 habit, and begins to pull feathers and tear away at 

 its prey while that prey is still alive. It is probably 

 on this account that the falconers first drew the dis- 

 tinction between noble and ignoble hawks ; for we 

 associate a degree of cruelty with this mangling and 

 eating of the living animal, which we do not feel 

 when the prey is killed outright before it is eaten ; 

 and there is more than mere sentiment in this dis- 

 tinction, inasmuch as, though death is the fi'nal result 

 in both cases, there is a cruelty of a degrading cha- 

 racter in death by protracted torture. The female 

 sparrow-hawk builds her nest in lofty trees, ruined 

 castles, elevated rocks, and other places, and she 

 stands accused of sometimes appropriating the de- 

 serted nest of the crow, or rather of the rook. The 

 eggs are from four to six in number, of a dull white 

 colour, and sometimes of a bluish tinge, blotched at 

 the large, and sometimes, though very rarely, at the 

 small end, with rust colour. Though it flies low, it 



is very fierce and predaceous. It abounds more or 

 ess in every cjuarter of the world, being found as 

 liigh as Lapland, and in the Faroe Isles, though not, 

 as alleged, in Siberia, and again as far south as Africa. 

 It is common in most of the wooded and inclosed 

 parts of this country, but is of less frequent occurrence 

 in the more champaign districts. It seems to be a 

 partial migrant in some parts of Europe ; for Beton, 

 long ago, witnessed their passage, as Sonnini more 

 recently did, when at sea, between Barbary and 

 Italy. On the approach of winter legions of them 

 move southward, to the dismay of the smaller and 

 weaker migratory birds, on which they prey with 

 cruel assiduity, and from which circumstance the 

 mariners in the Mediterranean give them the appella- 

 tion of "corsairs." They are stationary in Egypt 

 throughout the year, and many of them are habituated 

 to a town life, usually taking up their residence along 

 with vultures and kites on the terraces of the houses, 

 arid sparing, as if by implied contract, the turtle-doves. 

 Indeed, we should remark that, notwithstanding its 

 bold and ravenous propensities, the sparrow-hawk is 

 more easily tamed than most birds of prey, and not 

 unsusceptible of attachment. It is alleged that the 

 young birds are very good eating, and that they are 

 used as food in Egypt. A case of the domestic 

 economy and habits of this species of hawk is so 

 well told by White, in the Natural History of Sel- 

 borne, that we cannot resist quoting it. " About 

 the 10th of July," says he, " a pair of sparrow-hawks 

 bred in an old crow's nest on alow beech in Selborne 

 Hanger, and as their brood, which was numerous, 

 began to grow up, became so daring and ravenous, 

 that they were a terror to all the dames in the village 

 who had chickens or ducklings under their care. A 

 boy climbed the tree, and found the young so fledged 

 that they all escaped from him, but he discovered 

 that a good house had been kept ; the larder was 

 well stored with provisions, for he brought down a 

 yo.ung blackbird, jay, and house-martin, all clean 

 picked, and some half devoured. The old birds had 

 been observed to make sad havoc for some days 

 among the new-flown swallows and martins, which, 

 being but lately out of their nests, had not acquired 

 those powers and command of wing that enabled 

 them, when more mature, to set enemies at defiance." 

 THE MUSICAL SPARHOW-HAWK (A. musicm). 

 This is an African species, and it is remarkable as 

 being the only bird of prey that possesses a musical 

 song, or which has a voice at all agreeable to the 

 ear ; for, though there are different sounds among 

 the others, they have little or no modulation, and are 

 generally harsh and scieaming. The sound uttered 

 by the goshawk in the breeding season is a slight 

 exception to this, for at that time it utters a sort of 

 whistle ; but though this whistle is clear and piercing, 

 it is not modulated. The song of the present species 

 is, however, described as being sweet. It is given 

 by the male only, as in the singing birds, and during 

 the breeding time ; and, while giving his full melody, 

 the bird is said to be so much absorbed by it as that 

 he may be approached within a few yards. We are 

 not very well acquainted with the whole of the 

 domestic habits of this singular bird ; but Levaillant, 

 who observed it in the woods of the interior of 

 Africa, mentions that, though an exceedingly shy 

 bird at other times, the male may be approached 

 while singing, with the greatest ease, and watched 

 and observed while the song lasts. According to the 



