HOBBY 
205 
they move southwards in preparation for departure 
in autumn. It also catches Starlings, and various 
other birds of smaller size ; while it feeds to a 
great extent in summer on dragon flies, butterflies, 
cockchafers, and other such light winged game, as 
well as on bats and beetles caught at dusk. In 
colour it is dark slate-grey, almost black upon the 
head ; the sides of the neck have a sharp white 
patch, and the breast is creamy white, conspicu- 
ously flecked with black. As with many other 
Hawks, the cock bird is considerably smaller than 
the hen. The immature young are mottled brown 
and cream-colour, with the back, as usual, darker 
than the breast. The Hobby breeds in June, 
utilising some old nest, usually that of a Crow 
or Magpie, high up in a tree. A situation is 
generally chosen in a large wood, generally of 
beech or oak ; but it will also settle in some 
clump of big elm-trees in a meadow. It gene- 
rally adds a little new material to the inside of 
the nest selected, and lays (as a rule) three eggs, 
which are extremely like the small, thickly-spotted 
type of the Kestrel's egg. If there are more than 
four eggs in the nest it is practically certain to be 
a Kestrel's ; but otherwise it is necessary to identify 
one of the parent birds, which is far the most 
interesting course in any case. Occasionally the 
Hobby remains in, or wanders back to, our country 
