508 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol, XVI. 



I have not seen its occurrence there recorded, although it seems to be far 

 from uncommon. 



When I first arrived in dutch, in February 1904, 1 daily saw a pair of Bonelli's 

 eagles flying high over the old fort at Bhuj, and I was able to watch them a 

 good deal as my bungalow was at the foot of the hill, on the top of which the 

 fort, or rather a portion of it, is built. They were sometimes accompanied by a 

 handsome very rufous coloured young female, whom I also often saw by her- 

 self. Soon after my arrival one of my falconers caught the old male, using a 

 hare as a bait, but two days later I let him go, and he rejoined his mate, after 

 which the two continued to fly over the fort regularly just as if nothing had 

 happened. I saw them at odd times during the day now and then, but their 

 regular hours for soaring over the fort were from 5 p.m. till dark and they 

 used to turn up between 5 and 5-30 p. M. with great regularity, particularly dur- 

 ing the hot weather. 



From March to October there is always a steady south-west wind blowing 

 at Bhuj (i. e., from my bungalow towards the fort). The result of this was 

 that the eagles in order to face the wind invariably came up flying slowly against 

 the wind from the north-east side of the fort and usually high over it until 

 they were a couple of hundred yards or less south-west of it, where they 

 took up their position, becoming apparently motionless, head to the wind. 

 After this they sometimes slightly changed their position and became steady 

 again. 



Sometimes they went on like this till dark. The pair always flew quite close 

 to each other, usually side by side. If the young one was with them she 

 generally kept some distance away, and went away altogether before long. 



Occasionally when the old pair were soaring in this manner, one of them 

 would suddenly fly forward beating hard with its wings for a short distance, 

 then turn over, shut them tight, and come down in the most magnificent 

 stoop. I often could not see what it was after, but when I did, it was as a rule 

 a pigeon, once a crow, and on another occasion a hare which was killed. 



Whenever one eagle started off in pursuit of anything like this, the other 

 invariably followed immediately behind, and if the first stoop missed, No. 2 

 coming along behind, often killed. 



I have seen them chase the blue-rocks, of which there are a great number 

 about the fort, but never saw them succeed in catching one though I saw one 

 or two apparently narrow shaves. 



Tame pigeons they killed a great number of — a good many of mine too. 



I sometimes went on to the top of the fort with a pigeon in my pocket, and 

 when the eagles came well over I let the pigeon go. I saw one or two very 

 fine flights this way occasionally quite close. 



In April 1904 I caught the handsome young eagle. She became fairly tame, 

 but I regret to say died a few months later. I did not attempt training her, as 

 I had no time to do so myself, and my falconers with whose assistance I 

 might have made the experiment were all away at the time. 



