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85 



3, NOTES ON THE HaBITS OF SOME BiRDS OBSERVED IN THE 



PLAiNS OF N.W. India, IN 1849. By THE Rev. t. Phi- 

 Lipps, Baptist Missionary. Communicated by Fre- 

 deric Moore*. 



Part i. 



1 . MiLvus GoviNDA, Sykes. The common Indian Kitę. 



This bird, likę all the Kites, soars at various heights in most grace- 

 ful circles, but generally looking out for prey. Wheii it alights on 

 a wall or house, it utters a tremulous shrill cry. It is very cowardly, 

 for though it will carry off parrots and young chickens, it is afraid of 

 the crow, sparrow-hawk, &c. It will allow crows to puU to pieces a 

 bit of meat before it, whieh it evidently is desirous to obtain. 



2. AauiLA iMPERiALis, Bechst. Native name, Jumbiz. 



I shot a specimeu of this Eagle in a lonely tree, where it was 

 perched with its mate. When killed, it had a half-digested rat in its 

 stomach. The tendons of the skin were so extremely strong as to 

 make its skinning a very slow and difficult process. 



I once saw this bird fly off with a partridge which I was on the 

 point of shooting, and after a while managed to bring both down, 

 and found that whilst flying, it had gutted the partridge and partly 

 devoured its entrails. It sometimes seizes hares, with which, if very 

 large and heavy, it can only rise about a yard from the ground ; it 

 then flies very slowly off ; freąuently some of the farmers may be 

 seen running after and frightening it to rehnąuish its prey. 



The Jumbiz will kili and eat half-grown peafowls. They often 

 take away a grown fowl. I once observed it seize a tame half-grown 

 peafowl which was flying down from a tree, and almost at the šame 

 moment the eaptor was attacked by another Jumbiz, and the whole 

 fell to the ground together ; running up, I found that the first bird 

 had its wing broken, and could not fly away. 



3. HiEMATORNIS CHEELA, Daudiu. 



I shot a specimen that was sitting on the top of a tree on the out- 

 skirts of a grove, and ąuietly surveying the country in a motionless 

 posture. In the rainy and cold seasons it may be seen skimming 

 over the corn-fields in search of reptiles and field-mice. It was called 

 Sikra by the natives. 



4. Haliastur Indus, Bodd. The Brahminy Kitę. 



" This bird is amongst the first objects which attract the eye of a 

 stranger, for they swarm about the shipping at Calcutta, and are 

 useful in removing any offal which may be thrown away ; but though 

 their usual food is carrion, yet they kili fish, and not unfreąuently 

 carry off a šnipe which the sportsman has levelled." — C. W. Smith's 

 Notės. 



* The names of the follovving birds have been determined by coraparing the 

 descriptions made in India by Mr. Philipps \vith spcciniens in the Museum of the 

 Hon. East India Company. — F. M. 



