120 



rALCOWIDJE. 



those of tlie Toorumtee {Falco chicquera) often are, and may average 

 about 10 inches in diameter. 



These little Hawks take, I should say, a full month in preparing 

 their nest, only putting on two or three twigs a day, which they 

 place and replace, as if they were very particular and had a great 

 eye for a handsome nest ; whereas, after all their fuss and bother, 

 the nest is a loose ragged-looking aifair, that no respectable Crow 

 even would condescend to lay in. 



The greatest number of eggs I have taken in a nest was four ; 

 but I am inclined to think that the generality only lay three. 



In Sind, Mr. Scrope Doig tells us, he " found nests of this bird 

 on the 22nd and 29th of April, each containing three eggs. Nests 

 situated high up in kundy trees growing in the middle of dense 

 thick tamarisk jungle." 



Colonel Butler writes : — " I found a Shikra's nest at Deesa on 

 the 24th May, 1876, containing three young birds almost ready to 

 fly. I should say they were about six weeks old, in which case 

 the eggs were laid probably about the last week in March. The 

 nest looked much like an old Crow's nest, and was built upon a 

 tree growing in one of the compounds in the camp, about 30 feet 

 from the ground. 



" Mr. J. Davidson sent me some eggs taken at Akrani, Khan- 

 desh, 16th April." 



The late Mr. A. Anderson had the following note in the P. Z. S. : — 

 " In modification of my former experience, I have now to record the 

 occurrence of a slightly marked egg from a clutch of three. Pive 

 out of six nests which were taken in my presence this last 

 summer were built on the parasitical shrub (Loranthus globosus?) 

 which grows to such perfection on mango-trees. The branches of 

 this so-called mistletoe radiate sidewards and upwards to a con- 

 siderable height above the parent tree, from a large excrescence or 

 knob, thus forming, as it were, the outer structure of a ready-made 

 nest. Viewed from belovv the nest looks about the size of what 

 the common Crow would build ; but on examining one I had cut 

 down (the parasitical plant was four feet above the tree), it was 

 clear that the nest itself was particularly small, and so clumsily 

 made as to fall to pieces on being removed from the knob which 

 supported it. A better situation for a nest than the centre of a 

 clump of this parasite could hardly be conceived." 



He subsequently wrote : — "By the eggs of this Shikra being 

 ' slightly marked,' of course it mu»t be understood that the 

 colouring-matter consists of very minute specks of reddish brown, 

 and that it in no way approaches to the richly-marked eggs of 

 the European species, Aceipiter nisus ; Astur badius, oologically 

 considered, having its affinities with the Goshawk and not with 

 the true Sparrow-Hawks. 



" Admitting my weakness for oological discoveries, I must not 

 omit to mention that on April 12th last (1876) I took a clutch of 

 Jive eggs of Ji. badius, which is in excess of the number that has 

 bitlurto been recorded. Another sitting of four, taken three days 



