l66 THE REIGN OF LAW. 



escape is a reaction which is useless for propulsion. 

 Accordingly, in all birds to whom great velocity 

 of flight is essential, this structure, which is com- 

 mon in other birds, is carefully avoided. The 

 Hawks have been classified as " noble" or " ig- 

 noble," according to the length and sharpness of 

 their wings : those which catch their prey by velo- 

 city of flight having been uniformly provided with 

 the long-pointed structure. The Sparrow-Hawk 

 and the Merlin are excellent examples of the dif- 

 ference. The Sparrow-Hawk, with its compara- 

 tively short and blunt wings, steals along the hedge- 

 rows and pounces on its prey by surprise ; seldom 

 chasing it, except for a short distance, and when 

 the victim is at a disadvantage. And well do the 

 smaller birds know this habit, and the limit of his 

 powers. Many of them chase and " chaff" the 

 Sparrow-Hawk, when he is seen flying in the open, 

 perfectly aware that he cannot catch them by fast 

 flying. But they never play these tricks with the 

 Merlin. This beautiful little Falcon hunts the 

 open ground, giving fair chase to its quarry by 

 power and speed of flight. The Merlin delights 

 in flying at some of the fastest birds, such as 



