354 Mr. E. C. Stuart Baker on the [Ibis, 



or three mornings the presence of the Sparrow-Hawks had 

 been made known to us by their loud harsh cries, and by an 

 occasional glimpse of the birds themselves as they dashed 

 across the open from one side to the other. It was not, 

 however, until the third morning that we located their 

 nesting-tree, but once we had found this, we had little 

 difficulty in making out a black blot high up in the upper, 

 inner branches as their nest. 



Climbing to it was an easy task, for stout vines of the 

 elephant-creeper grew right up to and past the nest, forming 

 almost a ladder the whole way. Within a very few 

 moments, therefore, I reached the nest, and on my arrival 

 at that point was delighted to find five beautiful eggs, 

 which proved to be more richly coloured than any ever taken 

 since. The nest was so high up, at least sixty feet, that 

 climbing down from it with the eggs to carry in one hand 

 was harder than getting up ; however, eventually the descent 

 was accomplished and the eggs carried into safety. They 

 were hard-set, but with a little care and patience made good 

 specimens, although this was before the days when the use 

 of caustic potash had become universal as an aid to cleaning 

 incubated eggs. 



Whilst we were taking these eggs, the birds behaved in 

 the manner since proved to be habitual with them on such 

 occasions, and much as does the Common English Sparrow- 

 Hawk under similar circumstances. They both indulged in 

 many expostulations and harsh cries as we clambered up 

 the tree, fluttering about in a great state of excitement on 

 trees some distance away, but beyond that did nothing to 

 defend their eggs, and before we had actually got up to the 

 nest, both parents had flown off, though we could still hear 

 them calling in the distance. 



The nest used was an old one of Corvus macrorhynchus, 

 the Jungle Crow, and, judging from subsequent experience, 

 the nests of these birds seem to be the favourite ones for 

 these little Hawks to lay their eggs in. In both North 

 Cachar and the adjoining hill-ranges this Crow builds extra- 

 ordinarily neat nests, using moss almost entirely for the 



