384 Journal of the Astatic Society of Bengal. [March, 1907. 



1 

 I 



neck. The best and finest birds are those caught not earlier than 

 the beginning of N'ovember. Birds then caught appear to be also 

 new arrivals, tb eir lateness in arriving being perhaps due to the 

 distance they have travelled. Natives are great believers in the 

 excellence of hawks caught in certain districts. 



An officer of the Guides told me that he once caught a char^ 

 at Hoti Mardan with Russian bells on it, the name of a Russian 

 firm being stamped on the bells. 



The author of the Bdz-Nama-yi Nasirl states that one race, 

 which he distinguishes by the epithet mdni% breeds in Nejd, " lay- 

 ing its eggs on the ground like the black-breasted sandgronse i and 

 the houbara bustard." (Am Arab gentleman of Basrah, a falconer, 

 also told me that in certain localities the saker nests on the ground). 

 Ihis race is said by the same author to prey chiefly on hare and hou- 

 bara, and nestlings are considered equal to passage-hawks of certain 

 other races. Another race or variety called by him Hajjoji is de- 

 scribed as nesting in the hills of Nejd in the dry ravines hollowed 

 out by the rush of water. Nestlings of another race are also, he 

 says, obtained in spring from the hills of Persia and Asia Minor. 



• Z" ^ *^ ^" ■^"''^^ °* ^^^ " ^^ '« «^*^<^ed that the saker breeds 

 '^ 1 "?f "^r '? .*.*'^ ^""^ ^^^ country of Bulgaria. The writer 

 adds : Pallas indicates two varieties of this species, a larger kind 



Moanta 



l^tVi: + Y ^^T ^ig^a*« in ^iiiter. The smaller appears 



to be the true saker ; he states that it constructs its nests upon the 

 trees (or even the shrubs) which are found in the desert. The 

 young two or three m number, often leave the nest before they 



nrtf 5'"^'^'' ^""m ^*'"°'^, ^^'^'^ ^°*''^^ everywhere, uttering loud 

 cries Being easily caught, the natives take them at this period, 



Kalmucks!'' ««t^e^ed for hunting, particularly by the 



I 



Blanford says the saker usually nests on trees. 



Wall 



White 



fr,T.Tr.^;j +u 'L T, . ... * ^ cAiieu rruii or J5k.anaanar, in- 



^^^.ll\ ^ P^fnr'^ *l'°«e taken from nests either on the 

 ground or close to the ground, his theory being that the young, 

 accustomed at an early age to see wolves and foxes, grew up 

 more courageous. ' © r 



woii1hTJi Vi°".^;^V^!"'^^°' ^^^ ^e ^«^'-«* of ^tat Gilbert 

 would call the " habits and conversation " of this falcon. 



After « v.? .^T''""^"^ ^"^^' ^^^ ^°* ^« ofte»i ^« peregrines. 

 ^evshnnlH 1 ^J ''?'■''' ^«P^«^^^ly if fed on rich houbarT flesh, 

 Sv win 1 r^'"'"?-'^^*^^ *^° °^ *''^^^ '-^^^^ ^P ti" "Midnight, 

 calfv lelr .y '^'^^^' ^"^ ^"^"^^'^^ ^^«^P« digestion. Pra°cti- 



o taice dust baths. However, I have twice 

 flip r^a^^ T.^+ --™-^« that bathed; in each case, not during 



the real hot weather, but after the moult wl>en the leather. was 



gk 



\ q 



:_L: 



J ■ 



1 Bdqir-qara T. and siydh^slna P. 



^ 1 



