. Birds of village and field: a bird book for beginners . tree, or seen, likethe Kingbird, hovering in mid air over a field,holding itself up with rapidly beating wingsand tail. In both cases it is probably watchingfor its dinner, waiting to pounce on some unsus-pecting grasshopper or cricket, for they supplyits table in summer. In winter it may sometimesbe seen on poles about haystacks, lying in wait fora more substantial meal of mice. In some sections the Sparrow Hawk is knownas the Killy Hawk, from its cry of hiUy-ldUy-killy-hilly. Curiously enough, while the other Hawks buildlarge twig nes
. Birds of village and field: a bird book for beginners . tree, or seen, likethe Kingbird, hovering in mid air over a field,holding itself up with rapidly beating wingsand tail. In both cases it is probably watchingfor its dinner, waiting to pounce on some unsus-pecting grasshopper or cricket, for they supplyits table in summer. In winter it may sometimesbe seen on poles about haystacks, lying in wait fora more substantial meal of mice. In some sections the Sparrow Hawk is knownas the Killy Hawk, from its cry of hiUy-ldUy-killy-hilly. Curiously enough, while the other Hawks buildlarge twig nests high in trees, the Sparrow Hawkhides its brood inside a hollow branch, or even ina Woodpeckers deserted nest, sometimes puttingup with a hole too small for it, one which it hasmuch ado to get in and out of. In watching the aerial performances of the SPABROW HAWK 211 Sparrow Hawk, one understands how the flight ofbirds is modified by their feeding habits. TheRuffed Grouse ivcdks to pastures new, and, as itsprings from under your feet and goes whirring. y Fig. Hawk. away, is merely seeking new cover, which it easilyreaches after a short flight by descending in acurve to the earth. The Kingfisher wings his 278 MARSH HAWK wsij with the level, rapid flight of one who hasmany miles to travel for his meal — whose mind isfixed on a distant goal. Flycatchers, Waxwings,and Red-headed Woodpeckers, on the other hand,make short parabolas, leaving their perches onlyto seize the insects that happen by. The Spar-rows and Wrens make short, labored flights fromone clump of weeds or bushes to another, usingtheir wings merely to transport them to neighbor-ing feeding-grounds, never loitering in the the Swift, the Swallow, and the Nighthawkhave business in the air, and their flight is aseries of curves, zigzags, or other evolutions, asthey hunt back and forth, snapping up the insectsthat are in the skies. The Kingbird and Spar-row Hawk also have business in the air, but the
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectbirds, bookyear1898
