58 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



of Passeres pursued by a Sparrow-Hawk across a field into a 

 hedge, where one of them was caught. The hawk never paused, 

 but dashed into the hedge in a quite accustomed manner, and 

 issued from it again some way farther on, and in only a few 

 seconds, with a bird dangling from its claws. According to the 

 common idea, these birds, having got into the hedge, should 

 have been safe, but the result was very different, and gives no 

 countenance to this view. The hawk would not have engaged in 

 what experience had taught him to be a forlorn hope, but would, 

 instead, have sailed off, recognizing his defeat — for energy is 

 not unduly wasted in nature — but he dashed into it without 

 pause or hesitation. Evidently it presented no idea of being 

 foiled or baffled to his mind. " Now, I'll have them " was 

 rather, I think, the thought — justified, as we see, by the 

 event. 



Seeing nothing more of the hawks, I re-entered the planta- 

 tion, and before long the male returned to it, and flew from tree 

 to tree in it, uttering his cry whilst flying, and at intervals when 

 perched. When I then managed to see him he was not feeding, 

 and I could not make out whether he held anything or not. At 

 5 I found the female on the nest again, where she remained till 

 about 6. The male was at this time perched in one of the 

 beeches, luckily in full view, and upon his uttering the usual 

 sharp cry the female left the nest, flew right up to where he sat, 

 and for a moment hung in the air just in front of him. She then 

 flew direct to a tree near, where I saw her distinctly go through 

 the characteristic feeding actions. Evidently, though I could 

 not quite see the delivery, she had received something from her 

 husband. After only a few mouthfuls, however, she flew into 

 another tree, near the nesting one, and from that on to the nest, 

 where apparently she finished her meal. Standing upon the 

 carcase (or portion of it) she pulled and tugged at it with great 

 energy, once lifting it right up in her bill. It then looked like 

 the headless carcase of a bird about as big as a Chaffinch, and 

 that made me think that the more violent tugging had been given 

 during the process of decapitation. She then sat quietly for 

 about an hour, but before settling herself on the nest she made 

 movements different to any I have seen her make there before, 

 bending her body up, though still retaining her crouching 



