Correspondence



143



infer by this that they never bunt, as this depends a great deal on

environment and opportunity. I have seen the Imperial bunting bares

and tbe others frequently catcb rats, toads, lizards, and even bigger

game occasionally, but robbery and scavenging are tbeir chief pursuits,

and one has not to remain long in any of tbe stations of India to witness

a crow being pursued by, and having to give up its titbit to a Tawny

Eagle and so on.


Tbe Hawk Eagles are nearly all hunters. All tbe species of

Spizaetus and also Bonelli’s Eagle ( Eutolmaetus fasciatus), and the

Rufous-bellied Hawk Eagle ( Lophotriorchis kieneri) are not, as a rule,

given to piracy, but catcb tbeir own dinner.


On tbe other band, it can safely be said that, given tbe opportunity 5

every bird of prey is a pirate to a more or less extent.


Even tbe noble Peregrine does not disdain purloining another

falcon’s catcb. A very common method of catching Peregrines, and in

fact all or any of the Raptores, is by means of a decoy. A ball of

feathers, intermixed with a number of fine horse-hair nooses, is tied

to another Falcon’s feet. Three or four of the flight feathers are tied

together to prevent the bird flying away altogether, and the decoy

is then thrown up into the air in some open plain or near the banks of

some river which the Peregrine is known to frequent. If she happens

to be within seeing distance she cannot resist such an opportunity,

i.e. seeing another Falcon carrying off what looks like a small bird,

and before the decoy has reached the ground, as it will within two or

three hundred yards, the Peregrine has caught up and “ bound ” to

tbe ball of feathers, and incidentally to the nooses. A little pulling and

straining to get the titbit away and the nooses have done the rest.

You can then run up and catch tbe wild Falcon, as well as your decoy,

as the one cannot carry off the other.


It sometimes happens that some marauding Eagle sees the decoy,

x n which case, unless you can run fast enough and shout loud enough

to drive him- away, you will see the last of your decoy.


I have discovered from long experience that a bird of prey which has

become suspicious and will not attack a bird, such as a Quail or a

Pigeon, behind a net, will forget all about its suspicions and come down

without hesitation the moment you substitute another and a smaller



