Birds of the Jhehim District. 
133 
ABNORMAL PLU^fAGED YELLOW-FRONTED AMAZON. 
Sir, — I havi' got rathor a ourious Yellow - frnntt d Amazon, but, I 
do not know whother it is of any special inlcrcsl . 
Thi.s bird is a liilino or vrry nnarly so. The gcnfiral apponr- 
ancc is Canary-yellow, shot with a very pale groen that is almost 
invisible. The Front.nl patch is cjuit ■ ncIIow ;inil .small in extent, 
behinil this are a, lew pale liliif leathers; the llight t'e.athers are 
white. The greenest areas arc the cheeks, nap', and about th' root of 
the tail. The mandibles are both the same rolour, viz.: poarly grey. 
When the bird eamo to hand several elaws were missing, but they show 
signs of growing again. 
Eeeleiechan. "iS 4 '1.',. E. J. BROOK, 
♦ 
Birds of the Jhelum District and an Ornitho- 
logical Diary from the Punjab. 
By H. Whistlek, I. P., M.B.O.U. 
November 1. — When out with my Hawks in the morning: I >saw the first 
Saker Falcon (Falco chirrug) that I have seen this winter, 
and a Barbary Falcon (Falco harharvs) . The former 
came up attracted bj' one of my Peregrines that had been 
given a pigeon, and flew within easy gunshot, round and 
round us some eight or ten times, eyeing the Pigeon which 
my bird was breaking into on the ground ; it finally went 
off and settled on a neighbouring tree. We had a net with 
us, and unsuccessfully tried to catch it, but the Cherrug is 
most easily taken by means of the ' Paros ' whi h iinfoitun- 
ately we had not with us. The 'Paros-'' is a large ball 
of felt or similar material covered with the skin of any 
brown -coloured bird, and bristling with strong hors^-hair 
nooses. This is attached to the feet of a Fa' con of snrall vali e 
(the Lugger Falcon is generally used for the piirpose), and 
the Falcon has its beak tied up to prevent its spoiling the 
" Paros," and several of its wing featheis tied to prevent it 
flying too well. Arrived at suitable ground the Lugger is 
thrown up and flies awaj' in all the semblance of a Hawk 
carrying a heavy bird, after a flight of a hundred yards 
or so settling on the ground. Should there be a hungry 
Falcon in the neighbourhood it at once flies up and pro- 
bably tries to rob the Lugger, in which case its talons are 
caught in the nooses and both Falcons fall to the ground. 
Several kinds of Falcon may be caught by this device, but 
it is the way par excellence to catch Sakers who much pre- 
fer to rob other Hawks than work for themselves. A great 
deal of ground can be easily worked by the hawk -catcher 
who uses the " Paros ' because he can koep on flying 
