The Kestrel Hawk. 



449 



Food and Treatment. — When roving wild among wood- 

 lands and fields the Kestrel Hawk lives chiefly on birds, mice, 

 and small reptiles. After it has secured a bird, it places it 

 on its back, and proceeds to pluck the feathers from its body- 

 before eating it. Mice it swallows entire, and discharges 

 the hair in the form of pellets. It eats ground beetles, 

 grasshoppers, dragon flies, caterpillars, frogs, and earthworms, 

 by way of a change of diet. In confinement, it will subsist 

 entirely on raw flesh, and sheep's or pigs' liver and lights ; but a 

 few half-grown mice or birds should be given occasionally. 



Eeaeing the Young. — These should be taken when covered 

 with white down, before the feathers begin to appear, as then 

 they are more readily tamed. They should be kept in a 

 spacious cage, and fed frequently. They soon commence to 

 "squeal" when they are hungry, and do not cease until 

 their wants are fully supplied. Feed them at first with 

 finely-chopped raw meat of any sort, but do not give too 

 much liver or lights, as it purges them, and does not con- 

 tain sufficient nutriment to maintain them in health. When 

 they reach the age of three weeks, shoot a few House Spar- 

 rows, and give by way of a treat, first plucking off the 

 feathers. A few young mice will be greatly relished when 

 the birds reach the age of five or six weeks. 



Distinguishing Marks of Cook and Hen. — The female 

 Kestrel differs greatly from the male, as will be seen from 

 the following description : Length, 15in., of which the tail 

 measures 6 Jin. The bill is horn blue, tipped with black ; 

 cere and gape, yellowish brown ; eyes, dark brown ; edges of 

 eyelids (eye ceres), yellow ; the tongue is flesh-coloured, with 

 a dark point. Weight of bird, lloz. The head and upper 

 part of neck are dark russet brown, striped with black ; 

 the cheeks are paler, being tinted with yellowish grey ; 

 the lower part of the neck, back, and wings, are golden russet 

 or reddish fawn, marked with a horizontal bar of black 

 across each feather. The pen feathers are dusky, vandyked 

 on the inner web with white and brown, the white spots 

 being fringed at the edges with reddish fawn colour. The 

 tail is a brownish slate colour, barred from side to side with 

 narrow bands of dusky brown ; near the end is a broader 

 bar, an inch deep, of rich blackish brown ; the points or tips 

 are pale greyish brown ; the bars show on both sides of the 



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