1917-] Nidification of some Indian Falconidce. 361 



Accipiter virgatus confusus. 

 The Luzon Sparrow-Hawk, 



The only record I can find of the breeding of this 

 Sparrow-Havvk within Indian limits is Wickham's account 

 of two nests taken by him in the Andamans (Bombay Nat. 

 Hist. Journal, xix. p. 992). 



He here writes : — 



" House-crows not having been sentenced to transporta- 

 tion, an untidy collection of sticks in the fork of a rain-tree, 

 although overhanging a road to a small village, attracted 

 my attention early in Afarch this year ; it contained nothing, 

 but was noted for future inspection. On the 21st March I 

 visited the spot again and found it contained two fresh eggs 

 of the Bezra Sparrow- Hawk ; thinking this was probably 

 the full complement for the Andamans, as birds who should 

 know better often play this trick on collectors here, I took 

 them, but secured another egg in the nest on the 28th, my 

 first bit of good fortune. 



"The jungle round here was a favourite hunting-ground 

 of mine, and I had placed nesting-boxes for the Andaman 

 Shama in it. I had also noticed another stick-nest in 

 a rain-tree not one hundred yards from the nest I had 

 taken the Sparrow-Hawk's eggs from, and it was during 

 one of my subsequent visits that I found my little pair of 

 Hawks were repairing this old home of theirs, from which I 

 subsequently (28th April) took four eggs slightly incubated. 



" The pluck of these little Hawks in defence of their 

 nests is wonderful as they swoop down on the marauder, 

 and once one struck my topee as I was watching the man at 

 the nest, both male and female taking part in the attack ; 

 but they also have patience, as this pair returned to their 

 first nest and hatched out their brood on the 14th June." 



Two eggs of the second clutch referred to above by 

 Mr. Wickham are now in my collection. Of these, one is 

 comparatively well-marked with large and fairly bold 

 blotches of reddish vandyke-brown, sparsely and irregularly 

 scattered over the whole of the e^^, others underlying these 

 SER. X. VOL. V. 2 b 



