even seize a rising bird in front of the gun. When birds fail, the Hobby has recourse to insects, reptiles, 
and field-mice. M. Bailly adds that young Hobbies are gentle and easily tamed, but that, with all his care 
and attention, he could not obtain the same result with the old. 
“ We believe,” says Latham, “ this to be the most rapid in its flight of all the Hawks : Larks will not trust 
to their wings when the Hobby is in sight ; and we remember to have seen a Swallow pursued and overtaken 
while on the wing by this bird. This species was formerly used in falconry, but not known to attempt a 
larger bird than a Partridge : it is a great enemy to Larks, and is frequently taken in pursuit of them by the 
bird-catchers in their nets ; hence it is successfully used in the luring of Larks, for which purpose the Hawk 
is cast off, on seeing which the Larks keep to the ground through fear, and the fowler draws his net over 
them.” 
“ Unlike the Peregrine,” says A. E. Knox, Esq., the Hobby “prefers the wooded district of the Weald of 
Sussex to the downs or the open country near the coast, being there a summer visitor. Yet even in these 
its favourite haunts he must be considered scarce ; for you will rarely discover his decaying form among the 
rows of defunct Hawks which garnish the gable end of the keeper’s cottage — a sort of ornithological register 
which Indicates, witli tolerable accuracy, the prevalence or scarcity of any species of raptorial bird in its 
immediate neighbourhood. 
“ The courage and address of this Hawk are remarkable. When shooting with a friend, a few years ago, 
during the early part of September, we observed a Hobby pursuing a Partridge, which, having been 
wounded, was then in the act of ‘ towering.’ The little fellow proved himself a true Falcon by the quickness 
with which he rose above his quarry in rapid circles, ‘ climbing to the mountee,’ as our ancestors termed 
this manoeuvre, with all the ease of a Peregrine. Unfortunately, at this juncture the Partridge became 
suddenly lifeless, as is the case with all towering birds, and fell to the ground ; while the Hobby, apparently 
disdaining to accept a victim which he had not obtained by his own exertions, scudded away after a fresh 
covey.” 
The usual disparity in the size of the sexes seen in other Falcons also occurs with the Hobby, the female 
being considerably larger than the male. Both are alike in colour when adult ; but the young of the first 
autumn are different, having the feathers of the upper surface margined with yellowish buff, and the general 
ground-colour darker than that of their parents. 
The Plate represents an adult male, of the size of life, with a Dragonfly {/^shna grandis) in its claws. 
