370 Inciters, Extractf;, and Notes. [Ibis, 



Frontier Province from Pcsliawar to Balncliistan and the 

 Avliole oi' tlie Punjab, having- spent some thirty years in 

 almost every Station there as far south as Qiietta. During 

 the whole time I watched carefully for nests of lioth Falco 

 peregrhiiis pcref/r'iantor and F. p. babylonicKa. 



Along the foot of the hills from Jheluni to Pesliav.ar on 

 through Kohat to the borders of Afghanistan at Parachinar, 

 both birds are to be found (hiring the breeding-season. 

 I visited two eyries near Kohat, and found both birds were 

 undoubtedly F. p. peregrinator. The Pathans, who are keen 

 faloonei's, recognize the difference and speak of i*^, yj. baby- 

 loiiicus as the Red-headed Shaliin. Thev do not take the 

 youug of F\ p. babylonicns, as they say they are not so good 

 for iiawking purposes as F. p. pereyrrnator . 



I obtained the eggs from one eyrie near Kohat through 

 Mr. Donald. Now Mr. Donald, as quoted by Mr. Whistler, 

 Avas a keen falconer, but, I may add, knew well the difference 

 between these two birds, and he stated that they were eggs 

 of F. p. peregrinator and not F. p. babylouicus. My obser- 

 vations were confirmed by Captain Phillott of 3rd Punjab 

 Cavalry, also a keen falconer. I saw their birds, so am sure 

 of their identification. Another falconer, Major Biddulph 

 of 19th Cavalry, who was also a good naturalist, spoke to 

 me about these birds ; he had with him at Jlielum an old 

 bird of /'. p. peregrinator i\\at he had obtained from an eyrie 

 at Mian Quale, near Kohat. This is one of the eyries visited 

 by me and from which eggs were obtained for me by 

 Mr. Donald. These birds had bred at Mian Quale for 

 many years, and the eyrie was carefully guarded l)y the 

 lieadman of the tribe near, and it was fi'om here he obtained 

 his young birds. 



This is the evidence I have referring to F. p. peregrinator, 

 but more south, in the Gunial Pass, near Dera Ismail Khan, 

 the only breeding birds were F. p. babyhmicits. One nest is 

 mentioned by Captain Phillott in Blanford's ' Birds,' vol. iii, 

 I also saw a nest of F. bahylonicus with young near the same 

 place. Tliis nest was shown to me by a Pathan, who spoke 

 of it as the " Red-headed Shahin.^' 



