FALCONING. 23 



allied species from New Holland and North America have already 

 been separated from the European bird, but their distinctive marks 

 appear to be stronger than in the races of Europe and India. More- 

 over, our Indian bird is only a winter visitant here, and is spread 

 over the greater part of Northern Asia; and specimens from thence, 

 which must exist in some of our Museums, do not appear to have 

 been distinguished from the European bird. 



If we except Latham's description of F. Calidus, taken from 

 an Indian drawing, there was no record of the existence of the 

 Peregrine Falcon in India before my Catalogue of Birds was pub- 

 lished in 1839. Franklin's and Sykes' Catalogues do not contain 

 it. Hodgson, in 1844, gave it as found in Nepal. It is found 

 throughout the whole continent of India, from the Himalayas to 

 Cape Comorin, during the cold weather only. I have found it near 

 Trichinopoly, and at Calicut, on the West Coast, and I know that 

 many used to be captured at Eamnad still further South. It is 

 abundant all along the East Coast, less so perhaps on the West 

 Coast ; and inland, is found in suitable localities, especially where 

 there are lakes and large rivers, or where hilly tracts occur, up to 

 the Himalayan range. It prefers here (as elsewhere, I believe,) 

 the sea coast, perhaps by reason of the greater abundance of food, 

 as the water birds are much preyed on by this Falcon. 



I have seen the Bliyri strike down various water birds, teal, 

 duck, &c.; and on one occasion I saw a pair pursue and kill a snipe. 

 Often a large flock of duck has been forced to come within reach 

 of my gun at some small tank by the downward swoop of a 

 Bhyri, which the hapless fowl dread more than man even, and 

 I have often had wounded teal, snipe, and other birds carried off 

 by them. 



The Bhyri has particular haunts that it frequents for days or 

 weeks together, and near some of their feeding grounds there is 

 often a particular tree to which they invariably resort to eat the 

 birds they have caught. In their untrained state they seldom fly 

 at larger birds than duck, to which however they are very partial, 

 so that their representative in America, F, Anatum, is there popu- 

 larly called the duck hawk. 



