128 



SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



"hedge, or even through an open window. The 

 bird figured on the right-hand side of the ac- 

 companying engraving was stunned by dashing 

 itself against a window while chasing a small 

 bird, which suddenly dodged aside. 



We well remember just at dawn one morning 

 in the middle of winter, whilst we were lying in 

 wait for duck and geese on the marsh, hearing a 

 shrill screaming behind us, and turning round we 

 saw, through the morning mist, a redshank flying 

 rapidly towards us, and just behind, following its 

 every turn, was a sparrow-hawk. So intent were 

 they upon their race that both birds passed right 

 over us. We shot at the haw-k, but although we 

 did not bring it to the ground our shot so discon- 

 certed it that it gave up the chase and the redshank 

 escaped. 



The sparrow-hawk seizes its prey with both feet, 

 and devours it upon the ground. A heap of 

 feathers and the skeleton of a bird are often seen 

 in some quiet place under a tree or bush — unmis- 

 takable signs that a hawk has dined there. Small 

 birds and rabbits form its chief food, but we are 

 sorry to say that this lovely bird of prey is one of 

 the few that the keeper or farmer is justified in 

 slaying, for it cannot be denied that partridges, 

 young pheasants, and leverets all fall victims to its 

 prowess, and when the claims of a family press it 

 sorely, it will even invade the farm-yard, and, 

 snatching up a chicken, be away before the alarm 

 is raised. 



The name ' ' sparrow- -hawk " ' was undoubtedly given 

 to this bird on account of its preying so largely on 

 small birds, such as finches, larks and others, which 

 were in olden days all covered by the general name 

 of sparrow, but we are not aware that it has any 

 special -liking for the house-sparrow. We once 

 heard, however, of two sparrow-hawks being 

 caught by some bird-catchers with clap-nets in 

 which they were taking sparrows. 



It is a curious fact, that although so desperately 

 afraid of this hawk, a troop of small birds, 

 clamouring loudly all the while, will often follow 

 the enemy when he has just carried off one of 

 their comrades. It is difficult to discover a reason 

 for this sudden change from cowardice to courage. 

 A moment before these same little birds were 

 crouching in the hedge half paralyzed with fear 

 at the sight of the hawk, and now they are even 

 following it. A mad frenzy, perhaps, suddenly 

 seizes on them, and fear forsakes them momentarily, 

 or, may be, numbers give them courage. Possibly 

 they know that the hawk encumbered with one 

 cannot seize another. In olden days, this hawk 

 was much prized by falconers, being flown at 

 partridges and quails, and it is still used in foreign 

 countries for such purpose. 



Next to the kestrel, the sparrow-hawk is the 

 most widely distributed of all our hawks. It 



delights in a wooded country, and may be found 

 in such districts throughout England. In Scotland 

 it is common save in the rocky isles of the 

 Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands where it is very 

 rarely found. In Ireland, too, wherever there are 

 suitable w-oods it lives and breeds. 



The nest is usually built by the bird itself, but 

 sometimes the old or deserted nest of a crow or 

 woodpigeon is patched up and used as a nesting- 

 place. It is composed of sticks, and lined with 

 fine twigs, grass and a few feathers. The one 

 figured in the accompanying illustration was 

 placed at the end of a beech-bough about seventy 

 feet from the ground — a dizzy climb. It was very 

 slightly made, and evidently belonged to a young 

 pair of birds, which are not so careful as the older 

 ones in making their nest. It is invariably placed 

 in a tree, and usually at a good height. 



The eggs, which are three to five in number, are 

 laid at intervals of two days. They are very 

 striking in appearance, being of bluish-white in 

 ground colour, and boldly marked with large 

 blotches of bright chestnut. The markings vary 

 considerably in extent and outline. The young 

 are hatched in three weeks, and during this time 

 the female sits very closely. When first hatched 

 the young are covered with yellowish down. They 

 eat voraciously, and are w-ell supplied with food by 

 the parent birds, which often surround and even 

 cover the nest with their captives, both feathered 

 and furred. The female is very bold and fearless 

 when she has young, and on returning with food to 

 her offspring she often falls a victim to a shot from 

 the keeper, who is lying hidden beneath the nest. 

 The male bird is much more shy, and more 

 difficult to bring to book, and, although he con- 

 tinues to feed the young after the death of his 

 mate, if he should scent danger he will drop food 

 into the nest from above to satisfy the cravings of 

 the starving brood. 



The young may be easily reared, and they 

 become very tame in captivity. When they are 

 growing strong, however, the females should be 

 kept from the males, because, as is the case in 

 most of the Raptores, or birds of pre)-, the female 

 is much larger and stronger than the male, and will 

 soon demolish him when they are confined to a 

 cage. Of all the Raptores the sparrow-hawk is 

 most conspicuous for the difference in the size of 

 the sexes, the average female weighing nine ounces 

 to the six ounces of the average male, and measur- 

 ing fifteen inches in length to the twelve inches of 

 the male. The difference in the plumage of male 

 and female is not so marked as their size. The 

 male is brighter and handsomer than the female, 

 but its general colouring is much the same. Its 

 upper parts are dark bluish grey and the n^pe of 

 the neck has an irregular band of white spots. The 

 tail is grey barred with brown, while the under 



