THE BIRDS OF NORTE C A CHAR. 403 



(536) Falco subbuteo.— The Hobby. 

 Hume, No. 13 ; Blanford, No. 1260. 

 Rather rare everywhere but ascends the hills to a considerable height * 

 and I have seen a Hobby, I think of this species, at Guilang, over 4,000 

 feet high. 



(537.) Falco severus. — The Indian Hobby. 

 Hume, No. 14 ; Blanford, No. 1261. 

 I have seen a good many Indian Hobbys, but have only collected one 

 specimen, a perfectly typical male in full plumage. This bird was shot 

 at Kurrungma, the loftiest peak to the north-west of North Cachar, and 

 was one of a pair which had their nest close to my camp. I did not know 

 when I shot the bird that it had its mate and nest close by, so shot it, but 

 in the evening I came across the female, and followed her to a small tree 

 overhanging a very steep precipice. On getting close to this tree I saw 

 there was a nest in it, and the boy with me attempted to get at it, but the 

 tree was too weak and rotten. I then climbed a tree higher above on 

 the cliff and looked into the nest. For some time the Hobby sat there, 

 but I eventually dislodged her with a twig and saw that it contained 

 four eggs colou red very richly and darkly. She returned to the nest 

 again in about five minutes, and I left her in peace to rear the young as 

 it was quite impossible to take the eggs. The nest was a big structure 

 of twigs about a foot in diameter. 

 (538) Erythropus amtjrensis. — The Eastern Red-legged Falcon. 



Hume, Nos. 19 and 19 bis ; Blanford, No. 1262. 

 Every year this small kestrel appears about October in countless num- 

 bers migrating south into Burma. The 15th of October and the 15th 

 of November are the two dates between which their first appearance may 

 be expected, and of this period the last ten days of October are those in 

 which the first few birds generally come. The Jetinga Valley seems to 

 be a meeting place where all the different routes join, again to diverge 

 as the plains are reached, for nowhere else have 1 seen any approach to 

 the myriads of these birds which there swarm like white ants. When I 

 first saw and obtained these birds I offered a rupee a head for any the 

 natives might get, and the next morning some sixty were brought in and 

 I found that short of thousands there would be no limit to the supply. 

 The Cacharies go out at night to the roosting-place — generally a stretch 

 of country covered with the small solitary bamboo — with lanterns, torched 



