Robbers of the Air 



horror this proved to be the heart of a fledgeling hedge 

 sparrow he had just slain and spitted in a dead thorn 

 bush a few yards away. I sat down and waited to see if 

 he would come back to his slaughter-house for another 

 portion of his Jdll, but he ignored it and confined his 

 attention to the capture of beetles and other small 

 fry, so I took my departure. Two hours later, how- 

 ever, upon revisiting the scene I discovered only the 

 wee victim's legs dangling pathetically in the air, and 

 the wing bones, picked quite bare except for a few 

 primaries, of a young chaffinch in another bush three 

 or four yards away. 



55 



