TALCO. 187 



one or two stones have disappeared, or on more or less inaccessible 

 cornices of ruined buildings. I found a nest in the exterior walls 

 of Togluck Shah's grand Egyptian-looking mausoleum, another in 

 one of the lateral walls of the high gate of Euttehpoor Sikri. I 

 have taken them times without number on ledges of the clay cliffs 

 of the Jumna and Chumbul in the Etavvah District, and I met 

 with one containing three full-fledged young ones on the rocks of 

 the Mata Pahar, overlooking the Sambhur Lake ; still in those 

 parts of the country with which I am best acquainted, the North- 

 Western Provinces, Oudh, aud the Punjab, I believe the majority 

 breed upon trees. "When built on trees, the nest is usually a large 

 and massive one, some 2 feet in diameter, if circular, or if, as is 

 more common, oblong in shape, some 2-5 feet in length by 1'5 

 feet in breadth, and fully 6 inches in thickness *. It is composed 

 of twigs and small sticks, at times without any lining, and at 

 times lined with a little grass, or straw, or e^en leaves. Occasion- 

 ally, the nest is very much larger than I have described, but it 

 will then generally be found that the bird, instead of building a 

 nest of its own, has taken possession of and repaired one of some 

 other bird. Near Bhureh on the Chumbul, a pair took possession 

 of a nest that for the two previous years had, to my knowledge, 

 been always occupied by a pair of Pallas's Sea-Eagle {H. leucory- 

 phus) ; and Mr. W. Blewitt, who took five nests of this species in 

 January and February, in the neighbourhood of Hansie, remarks 

 that in every case the Falcon had taken possession of, and more or 

 less repaired, a deserted nest of the common Tawny Eagle {A. 

 vindhiana). The repaired nests were all on keekur-trees (the 

 favourite par excellence of A. vindhiana), at heights of from 17 to 

 24 feet from the ground. Three of these nests contained five 

 eggs, a very unusual number. There was no mistaking either eggs 

 or birds, all of which Mr. Blewitt kindly sent me. 



Where the bird selects a recess or ledge in a cliff's face for 

 nesting, a large nest is rarely made, a few handfuls of sticks, just 

 enough to prevent the eggs rolhng about, with a few feathers, 

 accidentally or purposely intermingled, is all that is usually met 

 with in such situations ; and I have twice taken the eggs laid on 

 the bare earth in a slight depression, without one particle of stick, 

 grass, or feather near them. 



Mr. E. Thompson remarks : — " This Falcon breeds on lofty 

 trees ; usually on one, with others standing near it, in open culti- 

 vated country ; even when it is a forest bird, it chooses such parts 

 as are tolerably open, with widely-spreading glades ; but habitually 

 it prefers open localities. 



" A nest found in open forest-country, south of Lall-dang, in 

 the provinces of Kumaon, on the 5th February, 18(i8, was up to 

 that date unfinished, though both the Falcons were present. The 



* It appears to be a general rule with birds that build sometimes on trees 

 and sometimes on rocky ledges that their nests in the former situation are 

 always deeper, more cup-like, and more massive than when iu the latter. 



