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THE SPARROW HAWK. 



This species is found spread over nearly the whole of Europe and; 

 Asia, and has also been seen in Northern Africa. The nest of this 

 bird is generally placed on the topmost boughs of some lofty tree, and 

 the eo-o-s are of a uniform spotless blue-white. Their number is from 

 three to four, and the young are hatched about May or the beginning 

 of June. 



In color the adult birds of both sexes are very similar to each other, 

 the tinting of the plumage being, briefly, as follows: The top of the 

 head and the entire upper portions of the body and wings are gray- 

 brown, and the under portions of the body, together with a baud over 

 the cheeks and the back of the neck, are nearly white, diversified with 

 numerous irregular spots, splashes, and partial bars of black. The 

 cheeks and ear-coverts are dark grayish brown; the upper surface of 

 the tail is the same hue as the back, and barred with dark brown ; the 

 under tail coverts are white. The cere, legs, and toes are yellow, the 

 claws black, and the beak blue-black. In the female the gray-brown 

 of the back is a more ruddy hue, and in the young the plumage is 

 curiously diversified with reddish white, buflf, and gray. 



The well-known Sparrow Hawk is almost as familiar to us as the 

 kestrel, the two birds being, indeed, often confounded with each other 



by those who ought to know better. 

 This fine and active little bird is an 

 inhabitant of many portions of the 

 world, being very common in nearly 

 all parts of Europe, equally so in 

 Egypt and Northern Africa, and 

 being found very frequently in India 

 and other Asiatic countries. 



The courage of the Sparrow Hawk 

 is of the most reckless character, for 

 the bird will fly unhesitatingly at 

 almost any other inhabitant of air, 

 no matter what its size may be. 



In consequence of the headlong 

 courage possessed by this handsome 

 little hawk, it is very valuable to 

 the falconer if properly trained, for 

 it will dash at any quarry which 

 maybe pointed' out to it. Unfortu- 

 nately, however, the Sparrow Hawk 

 is one of the most difficult and re- 

 fractory of pupils, being shy to a 

 singular degree, slow at receiving a lesson, and quick at forgetting it. 

 Besides, its temper is of a very crabbed and uncertain nature, and it 



The Sparrow Hawk {Accipiter 



