( 194 ) 
ON THE BREEDING HABITS OF THE HOBBY. 
BY 
CAPT. M. ASHLEY, R.A.M.C. 
I HAVE read with interest the field-notes on the Hobby by 
the late Captain C. 8. Meares (antea, pp. 50-4), and as my 
own observations and those of a friend who has had 
opportunities for many years of watching the birds when 
nesting differ in some particulars from Captain Meares’s 
notes, I have thought it would be of interest to record them. 
These observations were made in. Gloucestershire, in the 
north of Hampshire and in various parts of Wiltshire. 
In the first place, the birds seen by Captain Meares appeared 
so undemonstrative. In my experience, however, the Hobby 
is one of the most vociferous and demonstrative birds I 
know; although this is particularly the case before laying, 
when incubation is well advanced, or when the young have 
been hatched. Far from “the observation of these dashing 
little woodland falcons being extremely difficult,” in my - 
opinion they are particularly easy to watch. I have remained 
in the vicinity of a nest when the birds have had incubated 
eggs or young, until the constant “Greek, greek, greek” 
has almost got on my nerves; and during the whole time 
the pair has been either circling around closely enough to 
be observed easily, or resting at some slight distance away. 
The Hobby not infrequently so far forgets its natural fear 
of man as to swoop down in a most aggressive manner within 
a yard or two of an intruder climbing to a nest with young. 
I have concealed myself near a tree in which a Hobby has 
had eggs well advanced in incubation and flushed the sitting 
bird quite four or five times, but never had I to wait more 
than fifteen or twenty minutes for her return to the nest. 
This was done when I was less familiar with the birds than 
I am now and wished to make sure of the species. It seems 
to me now that these falcons are so unmistakable and easy 
to observe that there never can be any doubt as to the species 
when nesting. They are, I consider, much tamer and more 
confiaing than any of the allied species on the British list. 
I have remained under a tree for an appreciable period and 
watched a Hobby on one of the branches at quite a short 
distance above me. On the occasion in question the mate 
was sitting about twenty yards away. 
lt is curious how demonstrative Hobbies are long before 
tley seem to have thought of laying. This trait is some- 
tin.cs very marked. and Hobbies may circle around and 
