OBSERVATIONS AND QUERIES. 165 



attached a far greater importance to my mention of the two Magpies' nests of 

 the year, which a pair of the former species passed over in favour of con- 

 structing a new nest for their own use, than ever I intended to convey. He 

 seems also to have quite missed the drift of my paper. It never for a 

 moment entered my head that Mr. Davenport contended that Sparrow- 

 hawks selected any but old nests as foundations for their own structures. I 

 must also point out that what I wrote was not in criticism of anything Mr. 

 Davenport had previously written, though I did just allude, at the conclusion 

 of my paper, to the manner in which, in my experience, this species builds its 

 nest. My mention of Mr. Davenport's name at the outset was merely an 

 informal manner of thanking him for initiating an interesting discussion on 

 the latter question. 



Perhaps I had better explain that the point of my paper was — that there 

 is evidence of a change of habit, as regards the situation of the nest, in the 

 nesting economy of the Sparrow-hawk, during the last generation, in the 

 district with which I am most familiar, and probably in other parts as well. 

 After first alluding to the fact that all, or nearly all, of our older writers 

 state that the Sparrow-hawk breeds in the deserted nest of a Crow or Pie, 

 I then, as an illustration of a change from this habit at the present day, 

 amongst other instances, referred to the case to which Mr. Davenport takes 

 exception. I think nests from which I had taken the eggs a month or so 

 previously might be fairly termed deserted nests. It might also be reason- 

 ably inferred, though I did not think it necessary to mention the fact, that 

 where Magpies are fairly plentiful their old nests would be found in 

 sufficient numbers to accommodate several pairs of Sparrow-hawks. Now, 

 whether a Sparrow-hawk wished to adapt an old or a new Magpie's nest to 

 its present use, I see no difficulty in either case in its being able to do so. 

 By "adapt," I do not necessarily mean a further addition to a " bulky and 

 imposing structure " as Mr. Davenport seems to think must be inevitable, 

 but a pulling to pieces after the manner of a Kestrel, which species Mr. 

 Davenport admits sometimes seizes upon a brand new Magpie's nest, but 

 which never, in my experience, breeds in one with the dome intact. 



I see no reason, therefore, why, in the particular instance to which I 

 alluded, the Sparrow-hawks should not have utilised one of the Pies' nests, 

 ready at hand, unless, a? I think is the fact, the species prefers to breed at a 

 much lower elevation than was formerly the case. How my remarks to this 

 effect should be interpreted as "straining or perverting" anything Mr. 

 Davenport had written on quite another question I am at a loss to surmise. 

 I quite agree with Mr. Davenport that " Sparrow-hawks disdaining to utilise 

 nests of the year has no bearing whatsoever on, or affects in the slightest 

 degree, the specific issue raised by him." I only mentioned the occurrence 

 in connection with quite another point. — F. B. Whitlock. 



