THE SPARROW HAWK 147 



birds as the female, not having the size or weight 

 to hold a partridge, a feat the hen is quite capable 

 of if she chooses to exert herself, but when free to 

 select her own quarry it is seldom she flies at 

 anything so big. The fact of the matter is that 

 hawks are lazy creatures; they merely kill what 

 they want to eat, and no more than that. They 

 seldom if ever hunt for sport, and generally take 

 the easiest quarry that they come across, avoiding 

 big strong birds unless circumstances are especially 

 in their favour. I have seen a fine large female 

 sparrow hawk go at a woodpigeon and take it, but 

 this was in mid-winter, when there were not many 

 small birds about, and she was evidently " sharp- 

 set " and ready to attack anything. Under ordinary 

 circumstances blackbirds are a favourite quarry, 

 thrushes being far less frequently included in the 

 menu, for the reason that the latter take a good 

 deal more catching. I have known a spar-hawk 

 that lived almost entirely on blackbirds. She 

 haunted a certain dingle, and in the woodland 

 rides I was continually finding those circles of 

 feathers which marked where she had feasted. In 

 her case the feathers were invariably black ones. 

 A sparrow hawk's meal is never consumed in 

 haste ; indeed, it is a matter of considerable ceremony, 

 being a leisurely affair of many rites. First a good 

 dining place has to be found, and if the ground 

 does not offer a spot free of vegetation the victim 

 will probably be carried to a flat-topped gate- 

 post. Having found a place to her satisfaction, 

 the hawk grasps the bird firmly with her feet, 



