iz A BIRD CALENDAR 



broad white band in the tail. Their loud 

 resonant but unmelodious calls make it pos- 

 sible to recognise them when they are too 

 far off for the white tail band to be dis- 

 tinguished. 



This species is called a fishing-eagle ; but it 

 does not indulge much in the piscatorial art. 

 It prefers to obtain its food by robbing 

 ospreys, kites, marsh-harriers and other birds 

 weaker than itself. So bold is it that it 

 frequently swoops down and carries off a dead 

 or wounded duck shot by the sportsman. 

 Another raptorial bird of which the nest is 

 likely to be found in January is the Turumti 

 or red-headed merlin (Ae salon chicquera). The 

 nesting season of this ferocious pigmy extends 

 from January to May, reaching its height 

 during March in the United Provinces and 

 during April in the Punjab. 



As a general rule birds begin nesting opera- 

 tions in the Punjab from fifteen to thirty days 

 later than in the United Provinces. Unless 

 expressly stated the times mentioned in this 

 calendar relate to the United Provinces. The 

 nest of the red-headed merlin is a compact 

 circular platform, about twelve inches in dia- 

 meter, placed in a fork near the top of a tree. 



