116 Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. [February, 1907. 



w 



with, ttree half-grown young ones and three addled eggs. In 

 May I obtained a young one from the cavalry grass-rai^ at 

 Kohat, which two months later took to killing full-grown house- 

 pigeons. I have several times seen a wild raven cbase and injure 

 a house-pigeon, the pigeon only saving itself by dashing into the 

 bungalow ; and I have known one enter a servant's hut by the low 

 door and carry off a pigeon's eggs, I have, too, trustworthy 

 information of three ravens hunting and killing a wild hare. 



Oates writes : *' Blanford infoims me that the Sind raven 

 [utters a most peculiar bell-like note besides the usual guttural 

 cry." This clear bell-like cry is usually uttered on the wing. 

 'In the winter, iii the plains of the Panjab, this metallic cry is 

 Seldom heard. During the spring and hot heather, at Fort 

 Munro iii the Sulairaan Range, it is very marked, being there fre- 

 quent and exceptionally clear : it may be imagination, but the note 

 seemed to me to be there clearer and more metallic than else- 

 where. 



The author of the Baz-Nama-yi-hasiri^ a modern Persian 

 work on falconry, includes it amongst the birds of prey ; "I 

 have myself/* he writes, " seen it catch a chukor and have 

 taken the quarry from its ^ hands." The same writer states that if 

 it be blinded by having its eye pierced by a needle and be then 

 kept in the dark for twenty-four hours, it will recover its s 

 'He adds that Arab fowlers catch ravens in traps, and train the 

 common kestrils ^ are trained in the Dashtistan ^ of Fars to act as 



corroborated 



falconers of Basrah and Mithammarali. 



Muhammad ibn Mangali An-Nasirt 



i 



Wahsh 



ft 



tury 



writes: — "The lai^e black ^wra 6 which is generally known as 



tidaf^ and which is styled hj the Egyptians An-Nuhi ^ on 

 account of its longevity, and is also called Al-Kabir (a name 

 given to the Kite too), is the only one of the crow-kind that is 

 trained for sport. It is trained to take hares. If two or three 



fc^V* 



1 In the A^iin^i'Akbari, Aiin 28, it; is recorded that " The crow (raven ?) 

 is trained to take the sparrow, the quail and the maina." (Blochmann's 

 translafcion is here incorrect). 



2 *Yide' Journal and Proceedings^ Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. H, 

 No. 10 of 1906. 



^ ^ A warra. region of Persia on the coast : Bnshire is about the centre 

 of its coast line, 



^ 



* The Arabic text with a French translation was published in Paris 

 in 1880 under the title of " Traite de Venerie : traduix de VArale 'par Florian 

 Pharaon avee un Introduction 'par M. Le Marquis G. de Cherville." 



Unfortanately the Arabic text is corrupt, so much so that it is frequently 

 u'nintelh'gible. Further the French translator, not being a falconer, has 

 fallen into serious errors. 



*' Thou wilt not lire eternally though thou Uvest to the age of Noah. 



Arah saying. 



