398 FALCONIDJE. 



trained to strike Houbara bustard, duck, hares, and sometimes 

 partridges. It is flown from the hand, and flies directly at the 

 quarry. 



1244. Astur badius. The Shilcra. 



Falco badius, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 280 (1788). 



Falco dussuinieri, Temm. PI Col pis. 308, 336 (1824). 



Accipiter dukhunensis, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 79 ; Jerdon, Madr. 



Jour. L. S. x, p. 83. 

 Astur badius, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 190 ; Davison fy Wend. S. F. vii, 



p. 73 ; Ball, ibid. p. 197 ; Hume, Cat. no. 23 ; Scully, S. F. viii, 



p. 223 ; Doig, ibid. p. 370 ; Vidal, S. F. ix, p. 30 ; Legge, Birds 



Ceyl. p. 23 ; Butler, S. F. ix, p. 371 ; Davidson, S. F. x, p. 286 ; 



Davison, ibid. p. 335 ; Barnes, Birds Bom. p. 22 j Oates in Hume's 



N. fy E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 119. 

 Micronisus badius, Bonap. Consp. Av. i, p. 33; Blyth, Cat. p. 22; 



Horsf. 8f M. Cat. i, p. 39 ; Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 48 ; Hume, Rough 



Notes, p. 117 ; id. N. $ E. p. 24 ; id. S. F. i, p. 157 ; A. Anderson, 



P. Z. S. 1871, p. 682 ; 1875, p. 19 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 109 ; 



Blyth $ Wold. Birds Burm. p. 62 ; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 40 ; 



St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152. 

 ? Astur cenchroides, Severtz. Turk. Jev. p. 113 (1873); id. S. F. iii, 



p. 422. 

 Micronisus poliopsis, Hume, S. F. ii, p. 325 (1874) ; Hume fy Oates, 



S. F. iii, p. 24 ; Hume $ Inglis, S. F. v, p. 9. 

 Astur poliopsis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 110 ; Bingham, S. F. v, 



p. 81 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 7 ; Cripps, S. F. vii, p. 243 ; 



Hume, Cat. no. 23 bis ; Bingham, S. F. ix, p. 143 ; Oates, B. B. 



ii, p. 179 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 7. 

 Scelospizias badius, Gurney, Ibis, 1875, pp. 357, 360 ; Scully, Ibis, 



1881, p. 419. 

 Scelospizias poliopsis, Gurney, ibid. p. 361 ; Salvadori, Ann. Mus. 



Civ. Gen. (2) iv, p. 571 ; v, p. 557 ; vii, p. 374. 

 ? Astur (Micronisus) sp., Blanf. East. Pers. ii, p. 108. 

 Accipiter brevipes, apud St. John, Ibis, 1889, p. 152 ; nee Sev. 



Shikra $, Chipka or Chippak rf,H.; Kathia $, Tunna <$, Nepal; 

 Jali dega, Tel. ; Chinna wallur, Tain. ; Ukussa, Kurula goya, Cing. ; 

 Ting-Kyi, Lepcha ; U-cham, Bhot. ; Thane, Burm. 



Fig. 97. Head of A. badius, \. 



Coloration^ Adult male. Upper plumage ashy grey, generally 

 with a brownish or rufescent collar, which, however, is not always 

 present ; quills blackish at the ends, the inner webs except near 

 the tip white or buff, marked with blackish bars ; median and 

 outermost tail-feathers not barred or obsoletely barred, the other 



