THE SHAHEEN. 
23 
pigeons are thrown, and flies rapidly at one of. them ; the 
other eagle makes another stoop, which is generally fatal. 
The nest of the Cuncuma leucogaster, an Australian spe- 
cies, somewhat related to our Sea-eagle, is often of enormous 
dimensions. Captain Minders found two built upon the 
ground, from which they rose above two feet ; each nest 
was formed of branches of trees and other materials, enough 
to have filled a small cart. Mr. Gould"^ accounts for the ac- 
cumulation of this large mass of materials, from the bird 
being in the habit of resorting to the same eyrie for many 
years in succession, and each year additional supplies of 
branches are used in reconstructing the nest. 
The sport of falconry was a special pastime of ^4ord and 
lady gay in ancient time, though at present all attempts 
to make it fashionable seem to be unsuccessful. In various 
parts of India hawking is still a much-loved pastime. 
The favourite falcon of the East, Mr. Jerdon tells us, is 
the Shaheen [Falco peregrinator) , a dark species whose Indian 
name means Eoyal Falcon. Many of these birds are annu- 
ally caught and taken for sale to Hydrabad and other places 
where falconry is still ^ ursued. It is trained for a standing 
gait,^^ that is to say, it is made to hover high in the air over 
* Introduction to Birds of Australia, p. 18. 
