CHAPTER III 



The Lady's Hawk 



IT is a strange thing that our individual affection for birds should generally 

 somehow centre on one particular variety ; that each one among us, 

 for some reason or other, should have a leaning towards some special 

 kind of bird. 



There are some who consider a robin the most attractive of our feathered 

 friends, others who prefer a bird of paradise, or a parrot. 



For my own part, I must admit that I have a distinct penchant for the 

 hawk tribe. It is difficult to say exactly why, unless it is because they are such 

 keen, sporting creatures. 



There are of course many who regard a hawk as being typical of cruelty 

 — although in reality the hawk is not more cruel than the majority of other 

 birds — only it happens to be the nature of a hawk to hve upon other creatures, 

 irrespective of whether or not those creatures chance to afford us pleasure. 



The thrush is not criticized for banging the snail against a stone, nor the 

 owl for killing rats and mice — although such creatures doubtless have very 

 pronounced views on the subject. But then snails, and rats and mice, do not 

 generally appeal to us. 



The fact that hawks are so cruel as to eat birds, does not prevent us from 

 accepting a brace of partridges when they are forthconrdng — or a leg of mutton 

 for that matter ! 



It is the natiu'e of the hawk to kill and feed upon the flesh of other birds, 

 mammals, or insects— I'it is its only means of subsistence ; and in order to 

 enable it to obtain sucu food it is endowed by Providence with extraordinary 

 powers of flight. The methods of the different kinds of hawks in pursuing and 

 catching their prey, vary very considerably, and the writer will attempt to 

 describe in the course of this volume the styles of flight of the four small 

 British hawks, aU of which he has discovered nesting in trees. 



These four varieties are : — 



The Merlin — the Hobby — the Kestrel — and the Sparrow-Hawk; and of 

 them all, the little Merlin, when in pursuit of its prey, is without doubt by 

 far the most persistent. 



37 



