Birds of the Jhrliim Bisirict. 
addition to the birds notofl ycst«rday, there were a eoup^e 
of Ooininon Teal and five or six Green Lapwings (]'n)irlliis 
rtilj/aris)— the first that I have s<«n this wint(!r. 
A Bay-bueked Shrike (L^^w^^^s viltiitus) seen; this 
is a rare bird in th<;sc parts now Irliat tlie suninicr rcisidents 
liavp all gOHc . 
November "Jf) . Tlu: A\'estern Blossoui-hcadcd Pari akeet seen again- -lly- 
\i\)t very high and calling loudly' as on former occasions. 
Two Short -eared Owls {Asio ocrip!tri7iiis) flushed from 
a fi<dd of eoarsc rusliy grass. 
An Eastern Orphean Warbler (Sylvia jcrdnni i seeu in 
a Kikiir tree; I was attracted l)y the sweet but low song 
Hirmido rustica is still in numbers about the irriga- 
tion . 
The Bed-breastvd Flycatcher (MHncicapa parra) is still 
to be found about here and there. 
November 26. — In the early morning I awoke to hear the rattling call 
of a Thrush and was just in time to see the bird disappear 
over the trees — almost certainly a Black-throated Thrush 
(Mcrula atrii/ularis) which I fancy is rather a rarity in 
these parts. A male Purple Honeysucker {Arachneclhra 
asiaiica) out of colour noted — the majority have gone some 
time ago . 
My Falconer reported seeing a Barbary Falcon {Falco 
barbarus) . 
November 27. — About mid-day my Falconer rushed in to say that as he 
was returning from the Bazaar he saw a Saker Falcon (Falco 
cherrug). soaring near the house and chasing a Kite; so 
we hastily fastened the " Paros " on to the decoy Lugger 
and ran out to an open field near by. There was no sign of 
the Falcon, only plenty of Kites, and a fv;w Eagles in the 
iky, but the Lugger was launched into the air and had 
settled after the first flight when the Saker suddenly 
appeared flying straight for it ; it closed with the Lugger on 
the ground, and was immediately caught by the nooses — a 
good example of the deadliness of this form of Hawk snar- 
ing. My man ran up and was just in time to save both 
birds from an Eagle, which was hurrying to join the fray 
and lift the booty. This proved rather a lucky capture, 
as the Saker. although small, was a handsome bird in adult 
plumage, and one that had been trained before and had 
either escaped or been released ; for the scars in its eyelids 
shewed where they had been '' seled ' or sewn up on the 
former occasion of capture ; even more conclusive a proof 
was its behaviour ; for a couple of hours afterwards it took 
a crop full of food, and shewed that it remembered the 
Falconer's call. I have great hopes that this bird, which 
