200 PARTRIDGES 



this noble falcon is protected in many 

 counties, and while no great numbers 

 could be tolerated on preserved land, we 

 can well suffer the presence of a few 

 without complaining. 



There is some divergence of opinion 

 about the merits and demerits of the 

 sparrow - hawk. One authority 1 states 

 that "the successful rearing of game is 

 an impossible task where this bird is 

 allowed to exist " ; another, 2 with ten 

 years' practical experience of game- 

 keeping to give weight to his opinion, 

 writes that 



It is high time that sparrow-hawks were placed 

 under the protecting wing of the law. Genera- 

 tions of gamekeepers have persecuted them re- 

 lentlessly. ... If sportsmen would consider the 

 evidence for and against sparrow - hawks as 

 despoilers of game if they would rely no longer 

 on prejudice and crass ignorance we feel sure 

 they would take steps to stay the wanton slaughter 

 by their gamekeepers of these handsome, useful 

 birds. . . . But sparrow-hawks grow scarce, they 

 are seen far less commonly than kestrels. . . . 



1 Mr. Tom Speedy in The Keepers Book, 1903. 

 2 A Gamekeeper's Notebook, by Owen Jones, 1910. 



