63 
occupied us for a short time; but on getting close to the river 
again, in a place where the trees are very tall, and not thickly 
grouped, my friend and Cicerone drew our attention to a good 
sized nest which was placed about one-third of the way up a tallish 
Poplar. The nest was resting upon a large branch close to the 
bole of the tree, and appeared exceedingly easy of access. The 
nest was not very much larger than those of the numerous 
Hooded Crows we had already examined, but was deep and 
comfortably lmed, appearing, however, from the outside as like 
a large Crow’s nest as one bundle of sticks is like another. 
The eggs, four in number, were slightly incubated. In size they 
seem to be intermediate between those of the Peregrine and 
Geir Falcon, being, however, longer in proportion to their 
breadth. Two of them are light in colour, the other two much 
darker.” 
The one figured, measures 2°2 in length, by 1°6 in breadth. 
An egg of this bird figured by Dr. Bree from a specimen in the 
British Museum, measures 2°13 by 1:7. 
Mr. C. Farman, in his notes on the birds of prey of Central 
Bulgaria (Ibis 1868) gives the following valuable information 
relative to this species. 
“This noble Falcon, although not so plentiful as some others 
of its tribe, is in this country by no means a very rare bird. 
From April to October, it is pretty generally to be met with on 
the barren wastes which stretch from Hasique to Kushetchen. 
Whether it remains here during the winter, is a question about 
which I am not absolutely decided ; but I am inclined to think 
it does. Some specimens I certainly have seen during the depth 
of winter ; but they seem scarcer during the severe cold which 
freezes the mighty Danube. 
“Tn the spring of 1865, my friend Mr. Robert Barkley, when 
residing at Shitangick, in charge of the Railway works in that 
district, obtained a pair of young Sakers from a nest situated 
on a tree, about a quarter of a mile from the Railway works at 
Shitangick. He kept these birds in confinement for several 
months, and they appeared to thrive ; but, if I recollect rightly, 
they ultimately succumbed to the carelessness of native servants. 
“ The following year (1866) I had the good fortune to be 
residing at Shitangick, and I carefully watched the habits of 
this species. ‘Towards the middle of March I observed two 
pair of these Falcons frequenting the neighbourhood; and at 
the end of the month I found one of these pairs were repairing 
the old nest from which Mr. R. Barkley, the preceding spring, 
had taken the young. In the first week of April I found the 
nest of the second pair at a distance of about two miles from 
