400 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol XI. 



ground. He went to inspect the place, thinking the bird might have 

 killed and left something which he could eat, but instead found a nest 

 composed of grass, weeds and a few sticks, placed on a tangle of reeds 

 about a foot above the swamp. The eggs were of the usual dull white,, 

 without any markings. 



(526) Astur PALUMBARnrs.—The Gos-hawk. 

 Hume, No. 21 ; Blanford, No. 1243. 

 I have one small bird, a young male, in my collection, which was 

 procured by one of my collectors in the Laisung Valley. I have seen 

 no other specimen from Cachar. 



(527) Astur badids. — The Shikra. 

 Hume, Nos. 23 and 23 bis ; Blanford, No. 1244. 

 An exceedingly common bird, ascending sometimes to the tops of 

 the highest hills. Males seem to be far more common than females, and 

 I get at least two of the former to every one of the latter; but why this- 

 should be I cannot even guess. The Cachar type of bird comes between 

 the normal A. badius and Hume's A. poliopsis, bust lean* rather to the 

 former than the latter. 



(528) Lophospizias trivirgatus.— The Crested Gos-hawk. 

 Hume, No. 22 ; Blanford, No. 1246. 

 Rather a rare bird and from its forest-hunting habits not often 

 noticed. I found its nest in N. Cachar, but it was empty, and on another 

 occasion a young bird and an addled egg was brought to me. The 

 young one I kept some time in captivity, and it became very tame and 

 sociable. The egg is of the usual type, a dull, almost bluish-white, of 

 rather a chalky texture and of a broad regular oval shape, measuring 

 l'71"x 1*43". Both nests were large, but rather well-finished structures- 

 of sticks and twigs, and were placed high up in lofty trees. That, with 

 the egg in it, was taken on the 1st of May. Two eggs sent me by 

 Mr. Davidson from Kanara measure l-82 f xT5" and 1-86" X 1*52"; 

 these were taken by him on the 15th of April. 



(529) Acoipeter Nisus. — The Sparrow-hawk, 

 Hume, Nos. 24 and 24 bis-, Blanford, No. 1247. 

 Rare in Cachar, its place being taken by the next on the list. I have 

 one fine specimen of the form Hume called A. melanoschistus, a female 

 with the head almost black, and with that part very distinct from th© 

 back. It is an old bird in magnificent condition. 



