kind of fare, as it will attack Fmall birds, particularly fuch as 

 are weak or difeafed, and difpatches them with its bill, with 

 which it immediately cleaves the fkull, and picks out the 

 brains, but moftly leaves the body for another meal, firft 

 carefully covering it with leaves, or any fubftance that may 1 

 be in the way. 



The female builds her nefl in the holes of trees or walls, 

 fhe forms it of mofs, well lined with feathers, hair, and wool, 

 and lays from fix to eight eggs, fome writers aflert they lay 

 from fourteen to twenty ; in thofe we have had an opportunity 

 of examining, we never found more than eight, and moft 

 generally but fix or feven, they are of a clear tranfparent 

 white, finely fplaflied with bright ruft colour at the larger end. 



They are very tenacious of their nefl: ; fhould any one 

 approach it while either of them are fitting, they erect their 

 feathers, and place thfemfelves in a pofture of defence, and 

 continue to make a noife fimilar to the hifling of fhakes, 

 during the intrufion. 



