EALCO PEEEGEINATOE. 109 



in the hunt as its larger and more esteemed congener ; but of course is not so powerful in its' attack on large 

 birds. It is taught to catch partridges, florikin, and jungle-fowl by native falconers in India, and is usually 

 caught by the ordinary contrivance of bird-lime, with which it comes in contact on stooping at a decoy-bird. 

 Jerdon, who narrates, in his work on the ' Birds of India/ that it is trained for what is called " a standing gait/' 

 or the art of hovering or circling in the air over the falconer and his party, says that " it is indeed a beautiful 

 sight to see this fine bird stoop on a partridge or florikin which has been flushed at some considerable distance 

 from it, as it often makes a wide circuit round the party. As soon as the Falcon observes the game which has 

 been flashed, it makes two or three onward plunges in its direction, and then darts down obliquely with half- 

 closed wings on the devoted quarry with more than the velocity of an arrow." I can testify to the accuracy of 

 this account of the Shahin's powers of flight, as I was once myself an eye-witness to its capturing a Palm- 

 Swift at Trincomalie. A little colony of these birds had their nests in a solitary palmyra-palm which grew 

 near the sea-beach ; and one evening I observed one of these Falcons, which had been haunting the cliffs of the 

 Fort, dash past me, and, mounting higher and higher, go away at a tremendous pace, and with a twisting 

 flight, for about 300 yards. I could not see at the moment what he was pursuing, as it was getting dusk; but 

 he suddenly checked himself and shot down with meteoric swiftness almost into the sea. I then perceived a 

 poor little Swift just in front of him ; close to the surface of the water it dashed along in a horizontal direction 

 for about 100 yards, closely pursued by the Falcon, and then twisted hither and thither for the space of a few 

 seconds, the Shahin following its every movement, until he struck it with his talons, and, seizing it in his bill, 

 flew past me to the cliff. These Falcons frequently sally out thus from their perch about sunset, and make a 

 meal off the first unlucky bird that crosses their path; and they would seem to have rather a partiality for 

 Swifts and Swallows, for I noticed the bird I shot at the Yakka rock dart at a Swallow that was flying about 

 the cliff. They may be always distinguished from the Peregrine on the wing, even at some little distance, by 

 their smaller size and by the conspicuous blue-grey of the rump. I have now and then observed them perch on 

 trees ; but I think it is the exception for them to do so, as they prefer the rocks of the precipices about which 

 they almost entirely live. This species lives exclusively on birds ; and Jerdon remarks that in India it kills 

 large quantities of game, partridges, quails, &c, and that it is very partial to parrakeets. He observes, further, 

 that its habits vary according to the locality in which it lives, birds from open districts, where they require 

 to be more on the wing in pursuit of their prey than in forest districts, being by far the best fliers and the most 

 useful in falconry. It is more highly prized by the natives than any Falcon in the East, the Peregrine being 

 considered even second to it. 



Nidification. — But little is known concerning the nidification of this Falcon. I have no doubt whatever 

 but that it breeds in such localities as the Yakka rock, Alagalla Peak, and perhaps in the low country in hills 

 like Yakdessagalla, Rittagalla, Friars Hood, &c. It nests usually on inaccessible cliffs. Jerdon mentions 

 three eyries in India — one at Eutoor, another in the Nilghiris, and a third near Mhow. It builds a nest of 

 sticks on a projecting or receding ledge of rock, and sometimes takes possession of the old nest of another 

 Raptor. Mr. Hume speaks of an egg taken by Mr. Blewitt in the Raipoor district as being narrow and oval, 

 of a pale pink ground-colour, clouded with pale purplish, and finely speckled and spotted with deep reddish 

 brown. It measured 2'0 by P43 inch. This egg was taken in January; but Jerdon says it lays also in 

 March and April. 



