SPARROW-HAWK.. 
153 
provender for the young. We know the locality 
of the nest, and this prey, which must have been 
brought from a considerable distance, will tell 
strongly in favour of her strength. The breeding 
site is always, except in peculiar districts, chosen 
in a wood ; it is placed about middle height in 
the trees, and is rather a loose and careless fabric, 
composed of sticks and twigs built on a straggling 
base. The eggs are from three to five, bluish- 
white, with large brown blotches.* Previous to, 
and when the nest is building, the birds may be 
seen in the vicinity soaring at a moderate height 
in circles, diving and sporting in the air. When 
incubation commences, the female is shy ; but as 
time runs, she becomes wedded to her task, and 
will allow a near approach. The male does not 
watch, and an intruder does not call forth those 
vehement screams and dashes of despair or anger 
which we see in the true Falcons. Here, the 
disposition is more phlegmatic, and it is only 
when the young can exert their voice, that any 
approach to the nest is marked, and even then 
great caution is displayed. In rocky situations 
the nest is placed on some ledge or shelve, or in 
a skreen of ivy ; it is built in the same manner, 
and is tenanted by birds of like dispositions. Mr 
Thompson, however, states that an ornithological 
See Plate IT. fig. 3 
