206 HOBBY. 



in the southern and eastern counties of England, 

 where the districts are well wooded. 



The prey of the Hobby consists of the smaller birds, 

 such as Larks and Buntings ; but it is very bold and 

 courageous and is said to even tackle such big game 

 as Partridges. When giving chase its pace is terrific ; 

 it seems to glide through the air with scarcely any 

 motion of the wings, and will strike Martins and 

 Swallows on the wing, hardly ever missing its bird; and 

 even the Swift, it is said, is not safe from its talons. 

 It also feeds on numerous insects and animals, such 

 as cockchafers, beetles and mice. When on the wing, it 

 may easily be distinguished from the Kestrel or Merlin by 

 its more slender appearance and narrow pointed wings. 



The Hobby still nests with us, but it is no common 

 thing to find it. It hardly ever builds a nest of its 

 own, the old nest of a Crow or Magpie being used 

 instead, which it generally lines with hair, wool and 

 feathers. Its eggs, three or four in number, will not 

 be found before June. They are pale red in ground 

 colour, thickly spotted and mottled with deeper shades 

 of red. They are almost exactly like the eggs of the 

 Kestrel, but are scarcely so bright a red or so smooth 

 in texture. Seebohm mentions a remarkable fact in 

 connection with a nest of this bird which was used 

 annually by Hobbies, that " although both parent birds 

 were shot for six or eight successive years, and during 

 that period no young birds were reared from this nest, 

 yet each summer found it tenanted by a new pair ". 



The Hobby will become very tame when kept in 

 confinement, and may be taught to hawk for small 

 birds, but great care will have to be taken with it in 

 the winter, or it will not survive the coldness of the 

 English climate. 



