DOMESTIC HABITS OF THE SPARROW-HAWK. 55 



tree, uttering her cry, as she had been doing, incessantly, even 

 during her meal. It was difficult to see her each time, as she 

 settled, amidst the foliage, but once I did fairly distinctly for a 

 moment or two, and she appeared to me again to be tearing 

 something to pieces — her head went down to her feet, and was 

 raised, again, two or three times in rapid succession, which 

 I think is pretty decisive. Soon afterwards she went to the 

 nest. I then walked to the tree where she had first made a meal 

 — and under it I found just a few feathers — a small beakful it 

 might have been. I could not, however, with the glasses make 

 out anything left on any of the branches where — that is to say, 

 on one or other of which — she must have sat. 



June 21st. — Overslept myself, and was late at the plantation, 

 but found the bird still on the nest. She came off about 4, and 

 flew to a tree, where I had a good view of her, but she did not 

 feed, whilst there, and in some subsequent Sittings from tree to 

 tree I could make out nothing. I do not even know for how 

 long it was she and not the male that I was watching, for when 

 I looked she was on the nest again, but the male now kept 

 flying about with a constant " tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee," 

 often, I thought, uttered very querulously. More than once he 

 flew close by the nest, but without pausing, or settling, even in 

 the tree. He seemed anxious, and as though — but this is con- 

 jecture — desirous of calling the female off the nest. 



In the evening from about 6.30 to 7.30 I was down again, but 

 saw nothing of interest. The male was again in the plantation, 

 whilst the female kept on the nest — when I saw her she was 

 standing on the rim of it. 



Juyie 22ncl. — I could make out nothing, this morning, when 

 the female first left the nest, but, later, when she again did so 

 and flew about the plantation, I followed her, but was only once 

 able to see her eating. She then uttered her cry — " tehee, 

 tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee, tehee" at intervals, all the 

 while, in, as I may say, a very customary manner. She also 

 uttered it as she flew, and after alighting on any bough, but 

 when she sat there, without eating, she was silent. As far as I 

 could make out, she never left the plantation, except to skirt it, 

 for a few moments, before re-entering, and I noted also that she 

 flew amongst the branches with very great ease. When, later, 



