146 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XV. 



the hen with her brood, then made a sudden dash for a chick and carried it 

 off. This trait being unusual for Falco communis, I asked whether the birds 

 did not swoop down and strike the chicks ; he said, no, they first sat on the 

 ground and then attacked the chicks. 



On the morning of the 6th January, I personally saw the birds attack a 

 brood, which were under a clump of trees about 50 yards from me ; both 

 birds came to the ground first, then dashed in among the chicks, one of them 

 being successful in securing a chicken, arid though I ran forward shouting, it 

 was not till I was about 15 yards from them that they flew off, settling on the 

 ground again in the next field. I got my fowling-piece and went after them, 

 but they would not now allow me within range, flying off and settling on the 

 ground about 1"0 yards further off. After a careful stalk I got a long shot at 

 the one with the chicken as it was flying away, causing it to drop its quarry. 

 Both birds then made off for the hills close by. I went after them taking a 

 Martini-Henry rifle, and as anticipated, the birds would not allow me within 

 200 yards, but flew from peak to peak of the cliffs. A lucky shot at 200 yards, 

 with the rifle, broke the leg of one of the birds, it flew about 300 yards, 

 settling on the ground behind a boulder, while its mate kept hovering near 

 it. My servant fired at the latter as it flew over our heads, but missed. The 

 report caused the wounded bird to fly off another 200 yards, coming to the 

 ground again, when a tawny-coloured eagle gave it chase and caught it on 

 the ground in its talons. The eagle pecked at the wounded bird two or 

 three times, but was more intent on watching our movements. Hoping to 

 secure both birds, I sent my servant forward to shoot them ; but before he 

 could get within range, both birds flew away, the wounded one settling again 

 about 100 yards off and the tawny eagle kept hovering over it. My servant 

 managed to shoot the wounded bird, which I recognised as "fasciatus. ,f On 

 dissection I removed two eggs, each about one inch in diameter. The bullet, 

 with which the bird had at first been wounded, had apparently first struck 

 the ground and then the bird, for only a part of it was found embedded in 

 the hollow of the pelvis behind the femur. The pelvis itself was not injured, 

 but the femur was shattered one inch below the joint. 



This turned out to be the one which had secured the chick, for embedded 

 in its toes were feathers from the chicken, which had been driven in by the 

 shot when I first shot at the bird as it was carrying away the chicken. 



This eagle was in fine condition weighing nearly six pounds, but her crop 

 was empty. This together with the great cold had no doubt sharpened the 

 birds' appetites, and hunger had made them less shy. 



W. D. CUMMING. 

 Okmara, Mekran Coast, January, 1903. 



No. XX— PREHISTORIC-MAN-HUNTING IN INDIA. 

 Not long ago Lord Kelvin in a lecture entitled The Age of the Earth 

 gave the reasons which point to the period of time which has elapsed since 



