8620 Notices of New Books. 



more than the velocity of an arrow. This is of course a very sure 

 and deadly way of hunting, but though infinitely more exciting than 

 the flight of short-winged hawks, is certainly not to be compared in 

 interest to the flight of a bhyri from the hand after the heron or the 

 douk (Tantalus leucocephalus). The shahin is usually trained to 

 stoop at partridges and florikin (Otis aurita), also occasionally at the 

 stone plover (GEdicnemus crepitans) and the jungle fowl. It will not 

 hover in the air so long as the laggar, which, being of a more docile 

 and patient disposition, will stay up above an hour." — (P. 26). 



Haliastur Indus. — " The Brahminy kite is found throughout all 

 India; abundant on the sea-coasts and in the vicinity of lakes and wet 

 cultivation ; rare in the dry plains of Central India and the Deccan. 

 Colonel Sykes says that it ' usually seizes whilst on the wing, but 

 occasionally dips entirely under water, appearing to rise again with 

 difficulty.' This I have never witnessed, nor has any one I have 

 questioned on the subject, and their name is legion. He also says, 

 4 It is quite a mistake to suppose it feeds on carrion.' Mr. Smith, as 

 quoted in ' Notes on Indian Birds,' says, c This bird is among the 

 first objects which attract the eye of the stranger, for they swarm 

 about the shipping at Calcutta, and are useful in removing any offal 

 which may be thrown away ; but though their usual food is carrion, 

 yet they kill fish, and not unfrequently carry off a snipe which a 

 sportsman has levelled.' Hodgson says it feeds chiefly on insects, 

 and quests like a Circus. From my own observations it certainly 

 prefers aquatic food, and is most numerous in the vicinity of sea- 

 shores, large rivers, tanks, and rice cultivation. About large cities 

 and towns where there is much shipping, it gets its chief food from gar- 

 bage and offal thrown overboard, or occasionally from what is thrown 

 out in the streets and roads. Near large rivers or lakes it manages to 

 pick off the surface of the water small fishes or a prawn occasionally; 

 but its chief food, away from towns and cantonments, is frogs and 

 crabs, which abound in all rice fields, and the remains of which last, 

 picked clean, may be found so abundantly along the little bunds that 

 divide the fields from each other. It will also eat water insects, mice, 

 shrews, and young or sickly birds ; and many a wounded snipe I 

 have seen carried off by the Brahminy kite. In wooded countries I 

 have seen it questing over the woods and catching insects, especially 

 large Cicadae, and I have also seen it whip a locust off standing 

 grain. Now and then it gives hot chase to a crow, or even to a com- 

 mon kite, and forces them to give up some coveted piece of garbage 

 or dead fish : when thus employed it exhibits considerable speed and 



