MISCELLAIsEOUS jSOTES. 845 



No. XI.— SOME BIRDS OF PREY OF MESOPOTAMIA. 



A couple of months in any country does not go very far to enable one to 

 study the fauna of that country, especially when one is tied to an office stool 

 for the greater part of the day. but on the principle of "every mickle making 

 a muckle '' I venture to give below a list of the Birds of Prey I came across 

 during ni}^ short sojourn in Basra, including a hurried trip to Bagdad 

 (during period 18th October to 6th December 1918). 



Most of my early mornings, from 6 to 8 a.m., were spent in the environ- 

 ments of creeks and palm groves, with nets, nooses and a rat or a sparrow, 

 by way of bait, in quest of Accipitrine birds generally, and the Barbary 

 falcon in particular, but so far as the latter was concerned I had no luck 

 whatever. 1 saw it on several occasions, but invariably on the move. and 

 never had an opportunity of setting my nets. In Ashar, there was one to 

 be seen almost every afternoon perched high up on the mast of the wire- 

 less, but in such a position that it was almost impossible to find a place 

 whereon to set a trap. 



Around Basra itself I came across tlie following species : — 

 1. Imperial Eagle. - — A single specimen in the lineated plumage, 

 Aquila heliaca. observed twice near Makina, in the end of October, 



Besides this, I saw another a few miles up river 

 from Shaikh Sad. It had put up a hare among 

 some scrub and was stooping at it in great style 

 and turned the hare out of cover several times. 

 it was in plain view of the steamer as we went up 

 river and 1 watched the chase with my glasses for 

 about quarter of an hour and as we turned the 

 corner it was still stooping, so what the ultimate 

 result was I never knew. It was a very fine speci- 

 men in adult plumage and I should think a female, 

 judging by its immense spread. 

 :.'. Large spotted One specimen arrived towards the end of Novem- 



Eagle — Aquila ber and took up his quarters in the palm groves 

 maculata. behind the 3rd Echelon where I frequently saw him . 



3. Boated Eagle — I frequently saw a pair of these birds and 

 Hiercetus pen- caught a male. Both in the light phase of plum- 

 natus. age. 



4. Black Kite — Extremely common everywhere. 

 Milvus migrans. 



o. Pale Harrier — I saw one specimen which I am almost certain 



Circus macrurvs. was a Pale Harrier, near Mohamerrah on 18th 

 October. 



6. Marsh Harrier — Not uncommon. I saw them at old times near 

 Circus oerugino- Makina and as far up as Amarrah. 



sus. 



7. Long-legged This species is very common. I caught two in 

 Buzzard — Buteo the dark plumage and two in the light, and saw 



ferox. several others. I was on the look out for B. deser- 



toriun but never came across one. 



8. Sparrow Hawk — I saw several specimens at Basra and Bagdad. 

 Accipiter nisus. 



9. Peregrine Falcon Seen twice at Makina. 

 — Falco peregrinus. 



10. Barbary Falcon Not uncommon. Appears to be somewhat cre- 

 — Falco barbarus. puscular in its habits. Sits on the ground about 

 sunset apparently watching for bats. 



