Militant American 
Birds. 
THE BIRD WORLD. 
On other occasions it suspends itself in 
the air, hovering over some particular 
spot for a couple of minutes, and then 
shooting off in a fresh direction. 
Not a Re-fined Epicure. 
It will plunge into a thicket after small 
birds, and transfix them with an unerring 
aim, which, you may be sure, is gener¬ 
ally fatal also. But, as has been hinted, 
the American Sparrow Hawk is no re¬ 
fined epicure, and will “ bag ” anything 
eatable, from a snake to a chicken, not 
excluding grasshoppers, lizards, and 
Field Sparrows. No; as regards the 
selection of eatables it does not show 
too fine a regard, but as regards the 
actual eating of them it possesses per¬ 
haps the most delicate taste to be found 
among birds. For it will scarcely eat 
anything that it has not killed for itself, 
and even that it will spurn if its con¬ 
dition is what is known as “high.” 
The Other Point of View. 
Both points of view may be illustrated 
here. For instance, the voracious appe¬ 
tite of the bird is proved by the discovery 
inside the body of a dead specimen of 
the greater part of an American Robin, 
including the unbroken feet and claws. 
The Robin, be it said, actually measures 
within half an inch as long as the 
Sparrow Hawk! On the other hand, the 
delicacy of taste of the bird is illus¬ 
trated thus: A gentleman one day 
observed a Hawk,, after much re¬ 
connoitring, to pounce upon a mouse, 
carry it off in triumph, and then reject 
ic for another mouse, which it promptly 
despatched and ate. The mouse that 
had been discarded was found to be 
covered with vermin and greatly 
emaciated. The Hawk had wisely con¬ 
sidered, not only its own stomach, but 
the cleanliness of its nest! 
The Sparrow Hawk’s Enemy. 
The Sparrow Hawk has an invete¬ 
rate enemy in the tormenting Blue 
Jay ( Garrulus cristatus). The curious 
thing is, however, that the latter’s 
attacks are almost wholly confined to 
the tongue. It is, in fact, a virago 
Two Handsome Foreigners. 
1 he Lemon-Crested Cockatoo and the Hyacinthine Macaw. 
