560 
BIRD-LIFE. 
would wish to become thoroughly acquainted with it, you 
must watch it when in pursuit of its quarry. This Hawk 
feeds principally on harmless and useful birds, such as 
Buntings, Sparrows, Finches, Starlings and Thrushes, 
Warblers and others; it rarely devours mice, and still less 
frequently insects. It catches birds whether sitting or on 
the wing, seizing them from above, below, or sideways, just 
as opportunity offers; it prefers hunting in the neigh¬ 
bourhood of bushes and gardens. It flies with the speed 
of an arrow, and, to avoid being seen too soon, skims 
either along the ground or close to bushes, or under 
cover of a hedge, until it reaches the spot where it 
expects to find a bird, when it suddenly rises, and darts 
like lightning amongst the terrified flock. It rarely fails 
to make a capture, and flies off with it so quickly as 
almost to elude observation. It will fly, without stopping, 
round corners, through bushes, gullies and thickets, with 
unexampled address, even through the streets of a village, 
or round the corners of a barn or stable, so as to surprise 
its quarry; and with all this, it is so bold and impudent 
as not to abandon the chase, even if the bird it is follow¬ 
ing seeks refuge with man, for it will go so far as to fly 
after a tame bird into a house, through windows and 
skylights, and it will sometimes dash with such violence 
against a thick glass window, as to stun itself. The size of 
a bird is the only thing that saves it from pursuit, though 
a Sparrowhawk has been seen to seize on birds which it 
could not overpower. Naumann has, on several occasions, 
seen a Sparrowhawk strike at a Hen; and he once saw one 
seize a Heron, which it would probably have succeeded in 
killing had not that naturalist arrived and chased the Hawk 
away. Its love of slaughter is greater even than its appetite. 
Lenz relates a curious anecdote of this fact: he received one 
