180 Reviews. [Jan. 
in the vicinity of cultivation. It frequents gardens, eroves of trees, and 
even large single trees in the open country, whence it sallies forth, some- 
times circling aloft, but more generally, especially in the heat of the day, 
gliding with inconceivable rapidity along some hedgerow, brink of a tank, 
or across some fields, and pouncing suddenly on some lark, sparrow, or 
wagtail. It very often hunts in pairs, and I have now and then seen it 
hover like a kestrel for a few seconds. It preys chiefly on small birds, 
especially the social larks (Coryphidea calandrella), sparrows, and the small 
ringed-plovers (Charadrius); also not unfrequently on bats, which 1 have 
seen it seize on the wing just at dusk. It breeds on high trees, and has 
usually four eggs of a yellowish-brown colour, mottled with brown spots. 
The young fly early, by the end of March or beginning of April. It has a 
shrill angry scream, and is very courageous, driving away crows, kites, and 
even the wokhab (Aquila fusca), from the vicinity of its nest or perch. 
It is occasionally reclaimed, and flown at quail, partridges, mynas, but 
especially at the Indian Jay or Roller (Coracius indica). In pursuit of this 
quarry the Falcon follows most closely and perseveringly, but is often 
balked by the extraordinary evolutions of the Roller, who now darts off 
obliquely, then tumbles down perpendicularly, screaming all the time, and 
endeavouring to gain the shelter of the nearest tree or grove. But even 
here he is not safe; the Falcon follows him from branch to branch, drives 
him out again, and sooner or later the exhausted quarry falls a victim to 
the ruthless bird of prey. I have known falconers train the Zurumtt 
to hunt in couples. 
“The Indian name, Turumti, appears to owe its origin to Turumtat, 
given by Pallas as the Calmuc name of the Hobby. 
“A very nearly-allied species of Martin exists in Africa, Ff. ruficollis, 
Sw. (chicqueroides, A. Smith), long considered as the same, but now 
recognized as distinct by Hartlaub and others. Kaup, P.Z.S. 1851, calls 
it a sub-species of the other, differing in its darker colours, more striped 
head, and with the cheek-stripe darker and more distinct.” 
The second volume of Dr. Jerdon’s work is, perhaps, not quite so 
satisfactory as the first. The descriptions given are mostly shorter 
and more concise, and we do not find so many of those agreeable episodes 
upon the habits of the species which tend to render a book of this 
sort acceptable to the ordinary reader. Yet we must recollect the ex- 
tent of the subject,—the immense number and variety of the little 
Passerine birds, of which this part of Dr. Jerdon’s book treats,—and 
how difficult it is to say much when the subject is so new, and when 
so little, considering the wide field of observation, has been done by 
former workers. As it is, Dr. Jerdon has already transgressed the 
bounds originally marked out for himself,—his prospectus having an- 
nounced the completion of the birds in two volumes. It is perhaps, 
therefore, hardly fair to find fault with our author on these grounds, 
though, we think, the Indian field-naturalists, for whose benefit mainly 
the work was undertaken, will agree with our remarks upon these 
points. 
We have now, in conclusion, one or two criticisms to make upon 
points which will interest our scientific readers. Dr. Jerdon adopts, 
as we have already stated, Mr. George Gray’s arrangement of the class 
of birds, and, so far as the six great ordinal divisions (given p. xxxix.) 
go, we are not aware that he could have much improved upon them. 
But when he proceeds (p. 151) to employ Mr. Gray’s subdivisions of 
