178 FALCONID.E. 



" Ou the 7th August I sent a man to see if the nest contained 

 eggs, but he found it had been abandoned, aud a new nest com- 

 menced on one of a group of six lasora-trees (Cordia myxd) which 

 stood near to the khajur. He also informed me he had seen the 

 birds together. 



" I inspected the nest on the 10th August, and found one of the 

 bii'ds sitting on it. The nest was so loosely constructed that with 

 iny binoculars I could see that it contained no eggs. 



" I again inspected the nest on the 14th August, and found that 

 it contained two eggs. One of the birds sat close on the nest, and 

 would not be frightened off by a man beating on the trunk of the 

 tree with a stick, and this same bird made a swoop at my servant 

 as he was climbing the tree. 



" The nest was situated on the very top of the lasora-tree, and was 

 from 25 to 30 feet from the ground. In shape it was circular, and 

 with the exception of two or three pieces of sarpat grass, there was 

 no attempt at lining. It was about 10 inches in diameter, and the 

 egg-cavity had a depression of about 2 inches. The twigs of which 

 the nest was composed were of a uniform size throughout, and 

 were very loosely and openly laced together." 



Mr. K. Thompson informed me that in Lower Grurhwal and the 

 Dehra Doon, " they breed from April to June, choosing low trees, 

 usually one standing by itself, in (for those localities) sparsely 

 wooded spots to build on. The nest is circular, not unlike that of 

 Corvus macrorhynchus, composed of small sticks and twigs and lined 

 with fine grass and fibres. This species is sparingly found along 

 the foot of the Himalayas. It does not enter valleys unless, as in 

 the case of the Patlee and Dehra Boons, they happen to be pretty 

 open." "Writing later from the Central Provinces, he says : " In 

 the Central Provinces, the breeding-season is from December to 

 January ; the nest was placed upon small trees from 15 to 20 feet 

 from the ground. It is circular like a Crow's nest, of about the same 

 size and composed of the same materials. I have now found two 

 unfinished nests of this bird. The first was in the Saugor District, 

 on the banks of a small nullah, in a pretty open bit of country, yet 

 sufficiently wooded to keep the place moist and damp. This nest 

 was found on the 17th November, 1869. The second one, found 

 in the Seoni Plateau on the 6th January, 1871, was placed on a 

 small Boswellia thurifera tree, on the edge of a deep ravine. The 

 male bird was observed rising from the ground carrying a twig in 

 his bill and going directly into the tree. This fact led to the finding 

 of the nest, which was nearly complete. In the valleys of the 

 Meikle Eange, in the winter of 1869-70, 1 frequently met with this 

 Kite and broods of young ones, and even saw their nests, but have 

 not been fortunate enough to find the eggs." 



Colonel Butler writes : " I found several nests of the Black- 

 winged Kite this year, 1876, dates of which are given below. The 

 nests were all built by the parent birds themselves, and consisted 

 of a quantity of dead sticks open at the top, and more or less 

 densely constructed towards the centre. The whole of the nests 



