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these Falcons, and a pair of Guinea Pigeons, frequently have 
their nests on the same tree, and live as neighbours in apparent 
amity ; both species were found thus in Sennaar in the month 
of January, 1851. 
According to the account given by Sir Andrew Smith in the 
South African Quarterly Journal, (Vol. I. No. April, June, 1830, 
pp. 233-235) both the manner, and the season of breeding adopt- 
ed by this Falcon, in South Africa, somewhat differs from its 
habits in these respects, as observed in Sennaar. 
His account of its nidification in South Africa, is as fol- 
lows :— 
“Specimens of this Hawk, are not unfrequently found, along 
the Western Coast, and I have also met with some, about the 
Langikloof, at least three hundred miles to the eastward of 
Cape Town. In these situations, it is often seen resorting in 
the evenings, to the Poplar, and other trees in the vicinity of 
farm houses, and upon such also it often builds its nest. The 
latter is constructed externally of dry twigs, and within, of hair 
and feathers, and in it are deposited from three to four eggs, 
during the months of August and September. I think that 
Bonaparte was fully justified in assigning this species, and its 
Indian congener Lulco Chiquera, (Daud) to the separate genus 
which he instituted (Rev. Zool. 1854, p. 535) under the title 
of Chiquera, as they appear to me to form a group generically 
distinct, both from the typical Falcons, and also from the 
various genera most nearly allied to the genus Falco.” 
In connection with this note, I would remark, first, that a 
native once brought me a nest, with four eggs belonging to the 
Toorumtee, which he declared that he had found in the crown 
of a Borassus flabelliformis, our toddy Palm, which he had as- 
cended to search for nests of the Palm swift. This was in 
Bhowgaon in the Mynpooree district, where these trees are very 
common. At the time, I utterly disbelieved the story, but now 
I think that it may have been true, especially as he had no 
earthly object in deceiving me. LHven if true, the bird here 
very rarely chooses this situation, most probably because the 
majority of these Palms, are with us, regularly tapped year by 
year, and no birds will build where they are liable to distur- 
bance, day by day, throughout the breeding season. It will be 
seen, that Sir Andrew Smith’s account of the breeding of the 
African species, agrees well enough with the habits of our bird. 
Secondly, I would note, that I fully concur with Mr. Gurney, 
that the Hobbies, Merlins, and Toorumtees, all require generic 
separation, indeed the latter differ more from the two former, 
than these two do inter se; but I have been compelled to retain 
