lence as to raise a cloud of dust. It rolled over the body several times, measuring, at least, half the breadth of the road,-before recovering itself. It is not, therefore, surprising that this species should sometimes fall a victim to its temerity. On the 12th of August, 1847, an adult male was killed by flying against one of the windows of Belfast College, about seven o'clock in the evening. It was seen by some of the boys outside of the building, to strike against, and break the window, in pursuit of a small bird, which, however, by some means escaped. The porter, hearing the crash of glass, hurried instantly to the room, and found the hawk on the floor perfectly dead. The taxidermist who skinned it, looked particularly to ascertain the cause of death, but no injury whatever was apparent, except that a globule of blood was seen through the skull, upon the brain: the skull itself was quite whole. The bird had evidently died of concussion of the brain. Efforts of its intended victims to escape.-Rarely is there any possibility of escape for the poor victims. But I remember once being astonished at the quickness with which a flock of sparrows dashed into the midst of a thick hedge, on the appearance of one of these hawks, the swiftness of whose flight seemed as if it must have secured him one of them. The sparrows, however, having timely perceived their enemy's approach, contrived to save themselves.* * The following occurrence, though not happening on Irish ground, was witnessed by so accurate an observer, Wm. Ogilby, Esq., that I cannot resist introducing it here:-"I once," he remarks (about the year 1832), “had an opportunity, from on board a Ramsgate steamer, of witnessing a curious pursuit of a thrush by a sparrowhawk. We were off the North Foreland at the time: the thrush was, when first seen, a considerable way ahead of her pursuer, and making vigorous efforts to gain the woods which surround the seat of Mr. Alexander, near Broadstairs; the hawk was evidently bent on forcing her out to sea, for which purpose, instead of flying directly at the thrush, he kept close in along shore, always heading her, and thus effectually cutting off her retreat. This lasted for a considerable time, till at length the thrush, wearied with flying, and probably despairing of reaching the wood, wheeled suddenly round, and made directly for the steamer. The hawk dashed boldly and rapidly after her, and was with some difficulty prevented from pouncing on his victim even when perched on the foremast. Baffled in this attempt, he retreated to the woods on shore. The thrush accompanied us for some time, and supposing the coast clear, at length flew off to the woods. Her enemy, who no doubt kept his eye on her all the time, permitted her to come within a short distance before showing himself; but I had finally the mortification of seeing the poor thrush fall a victim to his cunning and prowess.' It is interesting when the pursued fly to man for security. When Major Higginson was once riding over the mountains, northward of Glenarm, a skylark, pursued by a hawk (doubtless either this species, or a merlin), made several attempts "to fly into his breast," but failing in this, sought shelter beneath the body of his horse. He instantly alighted, and took up the lark, whose little heart was beating most violently, during which time, the hawk kept so near, that his whip was in requisition, in the hope that the lash might reach it. Inconsiderately, he concealed the lark in the heath merely, instead of carrying it to some distance, as the hawk was observed to remain about the spot, and, in all probability, the poor bird, though respited for a time, eventually fell its victim. Some years ago, a swallow in the neighbourhood of Belfast, actually did take refuge in a lady's breast from a sparrow-hawk. As a sporting friend was shooting upon his moor in Ayrshire, in the month of October, a lark, pursued by a merlin (Falco asalon), came from the distance of about a hundred yards directly towards him and his servant, and alighted near their feet, apparently for safety. On reaching the ground, it was so exhausted as to be unable to close its wings. Sparrow-hawk and Heron.-Once, at the end of July, when walking along the side of the river Lagan, near Belfast, I was attracted by the loud screams of herons, which appeared above the trees at the north-west extremity of Belvoir Park. A couple of these giants of the air kept flying above the tops of the trees with tremendous uproar, in consequence of the presence of a single sparrow-hawk! This bird was circling about, and the herons awkwardly and quite unavailingly endeavouring to strike him. Flying quite at ease, his turns were so short, and, at the same time, so full of grace, that he seemed to laugh to scorn their heavy lumbering movements. The herons' savage cries were apparently (evidently, might almost be said) caused by the hawk's makebelieve attempt to carry off their young, as they were particularly violent and vociferous whenever he made a swoop,-as I remarked him to do thrice,—at the top of a particular tree. It seemed a mere play or bravado on the part of the hawk, as he could easily, in spite of the herons, have borne off the contents of the nest any time, were the prey not too bulky for his purpose. Mr. R. Langtry has not only observed a wild sparrow-hawk strike his sea eagles when perching on their sheds; but when his golden eagle was on wing, has seen one of these birds strike it in passing, and once even witnessed the hawk's turning back and repeating the impertinence. Nest.-An ornithological friend, on climbing a tree, at the Falls, to one of their nests, was, when within a few yards of it, attacked by the female bird, and his cap, at one stroke, sent to the ground. He speedily followed it, lest the next stroke should be on his bare head; but replacing the cap more firmly on, he gallantly remounted to the nest, which he had been almost daily in the habit of visiting, and was gratified with the sight of four young birds, that day hatched. The boldness of the parent was now accounted for. The young were described as beautiful in their first garb of snow-white down. Early in the month of June they generally make their appearance. A pair of these birds inhabited a wooded glen there, in which they bred regularly for many years, until one of them was trapped, when its partner deserted the place: had this happened in the breeding season, another mate would doubtless have been found, that the great duty of the period might be proceeded with. The locality for some years from that time was tenanted instead by a pair of kestrels. Sparrow-hawks again resumed occupation, and the kestrels in consequence took their departure, though it might be imagined that, in an extent of wooded glen of fully a quarter of a mile, there would be room enough for a pair of each species; but even the smaller birds of prey prefer to have a considerable range. When they are more numerous than ordinary, we may be pretty sure that their prey is likewise so :— the balance of nature will be kept up. Although the trees generally are old and large, one nest here was not more than six feet A pair for many years frequented the plantations at Fort William, near Belfast, and though one of them was several times shot, no matter whether male or female fell victim, the survivor was, invariably, soon provided with another mate. above the ground, in a spruce-fir,-which did not exceed twice that height. In Ireland, I have known this bird to build in trees only; but according to Macgillivray, "in the Outer Hebrides, where there are no trees, it builds in rocks." In Hillsborough Park, according to the gamekeeper, it always constructs a nest for itself; while the kestrel, on the contrary, takes possession of the old nest of some other bird, as that of the magpie, &c. Two nests, reported to me as situated in "dark fir trees," as flat, and consisting of little materials, were robbed here in the last week of May, 1848. They contained four young each, one brood being about two, and the other fourteen days out. Birds from both nests came under my notice; they were snow-white in the down; their irides light hazel. At Mount Louise, (Monaghan,) "it builds a rough kind of nest in the fork of a larch or Scotchfir tree, and about twenty feet from the ground. The nest has never been met with there in hedge-row timber, nor in a detached tree, but always somewhere in the interior of the plantation." A correspondent, writing from the south of Ireland, remarks, that he has never known the sparrow-hawk use the nest of another bird, but always to build one for itself; adding, that "the structure is little more artistical than that of the ring-dove, being merely a wide and shallow platform of sticks, without any lining, except some accidental feathers of the old birds, or their prey. These facts are mentioned, as, in some places, the sparrow-hawk would seem, like the kestrel, to appropriate to itself the old nests of other birds. A friend at Springvale (county of Down), has frequently taken the nest of the sparrow-hawk from a tree when the young were nearly fledged, and placed it on the ground under a basket, in the bottom of which a hole was cut to admit the old birds when they came to feed them. The basket was quite exposed to view, and rat-traps were placed about it, in which, though often screened by only a single leaf of the sycamore, the old birds were captured; in snares, too, set around the basket, they were often caught. Once, when the female was taken, the male *Mr. J. Poole. + See Macgillivray's Hist. Brit. Birds. vol. iii. p. 358-359. fed the young regularly for eight days, or until he was himself secured: he must have dropped the food to them during the whole period, as he could not otherwise have fed them without being trapped or snared.* It is stated, that all the birds brought to the young were plucked, and had the heads taken off. Young birds were procured three years successively from nests there on a particular branch of the same tree, though there was abundance of wood in the demesne. The food contained in many sparrowhawks which I have examined, consisted of birds only. The sparrow-hawk's mode of flight is admirably described by Sir William Jardine,† and a full and excellent description of the species is given by Mr. Macgillivray; Professor Wilson, too, discourses on it in his own eloquent manner.‡ THE KITE. Milvus regalis, Briss. Is known only as a very rare visitant. THE name of "Kite" appears commonly in the catalogues of birds given in the Statistical Surveys of the Irish counties, and elsewhere; but, as the larger species of the Falconidæ are in some places called Kite and Glead, as well as Goshawk or Goosehawk, there can be no doubt that the buzzard, or some common species, was generally meant. The mere fact of rewards having been offered in the Irish Statutes || for the destruction of the "kite," as one of the birds of prey, does not prove anything with respect to the veritable species. Smith, in his History of Cork, completed in 1749, could hardly be mistaken, as he does not content himself with stating that "the kite is distinguished from all other birds of prey by its forked tail," but adds, "that it remains with us all the year." He * See Macgillivray, Hist. Brit. Birds, vol. iii. p. 354 and 360. Recreations of Christopher North, vol. i. p. 90-91. |