108 WILD LIFE IN THE TREE TOPS 



And it is upon this sudden onslaught that the Sparrow Hawk relies for the 

 capture of her food. So intent is she on the business that she has frequently 

 been known to dash against — or through — a window in her efforts to secure 

 some bird on the other side. To my own knowledge a Sparrow Hawk a few 

 years ago crashed against a cage, and held onto its wires in her anxiety to gain 

 possession of the canary inside ! 



One carmot, consequently, compare the speed of a Merlin, or Hobby, with 

 that of a Sparrow Hawk, for both of the former will think little of travelling the 

 best part of a mile or more in the process of wearing down the victim, whereas, 

 as has been explained, the Sparrow Hawk's dash is a short-lived effort, and is 

 either at once a success or a failure. Its method of htmting is, in fact, entirely 

 different from any other of the resident British hawks. 



In general appearance, too, the Sparrow Hawk differs very widely from the 

 others. In the first place it belongs to the short -winged hawks, that is those 

 hawks whose folded wings do not extend for more than about half the length 

 of the tail ; then it has deep-set, yellow eyes, that tend to add to its already 

 ferocious appearance, and particularly long legs, which are of the utmost value 

 in enabling it to snatch up quarry even after the latter has dived into thick 

 cover. 



There is also a greater difference in size between the male, and female 

 Sparrow Hawk than is the case with the others ; and, compared to his enor- 

 mous and more ferocious-looking wife, the little male is indeed an insignificant, 

 meek little man, who looks as though he ought to belong to another species 

 altogether. 



A good deal of controversy has arisen as to whether the Sparrow Hawk 

 constructs a nest of its own, or whether it utilizes the disused one of some other 

 bird. I have in the course of many seasons discovered some dozens of Sparrow 

 Hawks' nests, which, with the exception of three only, had all been built 

 entirely by the birds themselves ; in fact, I have often discovered a partially 

 constructed Sparrow Hawk's nest which I have identified directly, and which 

 has ultimately held a clutch of Sparrow Hawk's eggs. 



As to the three exceptions, two of them were properly constructed Sparrow 

 Hawk's nests, which had as their foundation the remains of an old squirrel's 

 drey, and the other was a more slipshod affair, built on the remains of a several 

 years' old crow's nest. 



The majority of the Sparrow Hawks' nests which I have known have been 

 in fir or larch trees, but in many districts, including that in which the accom- 

 panying photographs were taken, they are invariably built in deciduous trees 

 — possibly because the other kind are not available. 



The birds seem to be fond of using the flexible ends of larch branches as a 

 foundation for the nest, and small pieces of the bark of pine-trees as an inner 

 lining ; though where these are not to be obtained they have to use as a founda- 



