ALY 
No. 23. Micronisus Badius, Gms. 
Tue SHIKRA. 
The Shikra lays in April and May, building for itself a 
moderately sized nest on trees, large and lofty ones being, as 
far as my experience in the plains goes, always selected. 
Writing from Gurhwal, Mr. Thompson says—“ This is a regular 
breeder in our forests, and always chooses trees standing on the 
edges of streams or stagnant pools. ‘The birds are very fond 
of frogs, which they are constantly stooping at. They are 
noisy, and quarrelsome, if any large bird approaches their nest.” 
The nest is usually placed in a fork high up, and near the top 
of the tree. Itis but loosely built of twigs, and smaller sticks 
lined with fine grass roots, is much smaller and less compact 
than those of the Toorumtee, (Lithofalco Chicquera) often are, 
and may average about ten inches in diameter. 
The greatest number of eggs I have ever taken in a nest was 
four, but I am inclined to thik that the generality only lay 
three. ‘The eggs do not vary much in shape. They are a little 
shorter and stouter than those of Z. Chicquera. They are oval 
or somewhat pyriform, a rather longer egg in proportion to its 
breadth than one expects to find in this class of bird. They 
belong to the Goshawk and not to the Sparrow Hawk type. 
Smooth, fine, glossless shells, of a pure, delicate, pale bluish white, 
as a rule absolutely devoid of markings ; at most, thinly sprin- 
kled all over with very faint grayish specks and spots, thus 
differing widely from the apparently closely allied A. Wisus, 
whose eggs are often richly, and always, I believe, more or less 
marked. 
In size the eggs vary, from 1°5 to 1°63 in length and from 1:2 
to 1:26 in breadth, but the average of a dozen egos was 1°55 xX 
1:24. These little Hawks take, I should say, a full month in 
preparing their nest, only putting on two or three twigs a day 
which they place and replace, as if they were very particular, 
and had a great eye for a handsome nest, whereas, after all their 
fuss and bother, the nest is a loose ragged looking affair, that no 
respectable Crow even, would condescend to lay in. I can never 
help thinking of the Public Works Department, when I see these 
Shikras busy building. All the fuss they make about scientific 
training, and elaborate plans, estimates, budgets and what not, 
and how after all, the result of their labours, is only some hide- 
ous, straight up and down, blank wall, barn-like, mud and plas- 
ter affair, with which no respectable, unscientific native would 
haye ventured to disfigure the face of the earth. 
