THE BIRDS OF PREY 01 THE PUNJAB. 297 



too and coming up with them fast. Suddenly two 

 or three of the little birds in front leave the rest and 

 begin to twist and swerve, as if uncertain what to do 

 next, and suddenly decide to dive for the bushes far 

 below. The little Merlin shows no indecision but 

 fairly cleaves the air in a succession of regular bounds 

 and is up to the birds it has selected for its own in a 

 couple of seconds, and then begins as pretty a bout 

 of serial gyrations as one could wish to behold. Stoop 

 after stoop, twists and turns, with a rapidity which 

 the eye can only just follow. A drop of a hundred 

 feet with closed wings, a sudden flick, and hawk and 

 quarry are yards apart, and then a rise for the open 

 sky followed by a zigzag course, as the Merlin again 

 catches up and follows every turn and twist in the 

 train of its quarry, only inches dividing the two. A 

 sudden vertical rise upwards, a double back, as the 

 Merhn shoots forward, and a headlong drop for the 

 friendly bushes below, which the fraction of a second's 

 start has made possible, but the little falcon turns, 

 shuts its wings and with a couple of quick beats to 

 give impetus, hurls herself through space and just as 

 those friendly bushes, and safety therein, seem so very 

 near, the little bird finds those relentless claws even 

 nearer, and once more has to swerve, rise and twist 

 and just as it makes one final dive for liberty it feels 

 a sudden sharp prick, as the Merlin bears off its prize 

 to the seclusion of a tussock of grass away from prying 

 eyes. 



The Merlin builds on the ground but the nest has 

 never been found in India. 



Genus u.'E salon. 

 No. 1264. uEsalon chiquera. The Turumti or Red-headed Merlin. 



Characteristics. Size small, wings in females about 9" ; 2nd and 3rd 



primaries longest and subequal, first much shorter and 

 approximately equal to the fourth ; crown chestnut. 



Colouration. Very similar to the adult male in the preceding 



species but can always , and at any age be differenti- 

 ated, by this species having a chestnut crown and nape. 

 Generally the plumage of the upper parts is a pale 

 bluish grey with dark shaft-stripes and a few dark bars 

 on the scapulars and wing coverts which fade with 

 age. 



The under parts are pure, white especially the chni 

 and breast with very faint thin black lines, which 

 become wider and more distinct lower down, and bars 

 on the flanks and abdomen. 



The tail is grey with narrow dark bars and a broad 

 marginal black band the extreme tip being white. 

 The crown of the head sides and nape are bright 

 chestnut and the forehead and lores white. 



