FOR NORTHERN INDIA 13 



The attention of the observer is often 

 drawn to the nests of this species, as also to 

 those of other small birds of prey and of the 

 kite, by the squabbles that occur between them 

 and the crows. Both species of crow seem to 

 take great delight in teasing raptorial birds. 

 Sometimes two or three of the corvi act as if 

 they had formed a league for the prevention 

 of nest-building on the part of white-eyed 

 buzzards, kites, shikras and other of the lesser 

 birds of prey. The modus operandi of the 

 league is for two or more of its members to hie 

 themselves to the tree in which the victim is 

 building its nest, take up positions near that 

 structure and begin to caw derisively. This 

 invariably provokes the owners of the nest to 

 attack the black villains, who do not resist, 

 but take to their wings. The angry, swearing 

 builders follow in hot pursuit for a short 

 distance and then fly back to the nest. After 

 a few minutes the crows return. Then the 

 performance is repeated ; and so on, almost 

 ad infinitum. The result is that many pairs 

 of birds of prey take three weeks or longer to 

 construct a nest which they could have com- 

 pleted within a week had they been un- 

 molested. 



