MERLINS 117 



once the merlin does succeed in getting above the 

 lark it makes swoop after swoop until it strikes its 

 quarry. 



In India the merlin is often trained to fly at the 

 hoopoe. This contest is of a nature very different 

 from that just described. The hoopoe does not rely 

 on speed. It trusts to its truly marvellous power 

 of timing the onslaught of the merlin and swerving 

 at the critical moment, so that the merlin misses it 

 by a hair's breadth. So great a master of aerial 

 manoeuvre is the hoopoe that two merlins working 

 together are required to accomplish its downfall. 



As the plumage of JEsalon regulus has the nondescript 

 colouring that characterises most birds of prey, no 

 useful purpose will be served by an attempt to describe 

 it. The merlin is a winter visitor to India, and visits 

 only the Punjab and Sind. 



There is, however, another species of merlin which 

 is a permanent resident in and distributed throughout 

 India, viz. the red-headed merlin (M 'salon chicquera) 

 or turumti as the bird is popularly called. Like the 

 common merlin it is one of the smaller pirates of the 

 air, being no larger than a myna, but it is the very 

 quintessence of ferocity, and it knows not what fear 

 is. Hence it is a terror to many creatures of greater 

 magnitude than itself. The red-headed merlin is 

 comparatively easy to identify, because it has some 

 distinctive colouring, in the shape of a chestnut- 

 red head and neck. The remainder of the upper 

 plumage is French grey, marked with fine brown 

 cross-bars. There is a broad black band with a white 



