136 LORD LILFORD ON BIRDS IN THE LILFORD AVIARIES. 
which had done good work in India, was presented to me by my 
friend Lieut.-Colonel E. Delme Badcliffe, formerly of the 88th 
Connaught Eangers, whose prowess and skill in falconry was only 
less widely known than the gallantry of his old regiment on the 
battle-field. This Falcon lived in apparently good health at Lilford 
for several years, but I did not attempt to fly her at any quarry 
on account of the unfavourable nature of our surroundings ; she 
eventually died from the ravages of parasitic worms in the heart. 
In the autumn of last year, 1889, Captain Stephen Biddulph, of 
the Bengal Lancers, brought a very fine trained female of this 
species with him to Lilford, where I had the pleasure of seeing 
her fly to the lure ; her speed and turning-power were wonderful, 
and a more docile and altogether perfect picture of a Hawk it 
would be hard to find. Captain Biddulph had himself trained 
this bird and flown her with brilliant success in India, but has 
I think been somewhat disappointed with her performance in this 
country, for which I am convinced that our native Peregrine 
cannot be surpassed. I am indebted to the kindness of Captain 
Biddulph for the gift of a so-called Black Shahin, or Sultan Falcon, 
Falco peregrinalor, which he had brought with him from India. 
This is the only bird of this species that I ever possessed alive ; it 
was in moult when it reached my falconer’s hands, and although 
it fed and bathed well, never gave me the impression of being 
thoroughly sound and healthy ; it only lived at Lilford from the 
middle of April to the end of July, 1889 ; the cause of death 
was a large tumour on the breast-bone ; the skin of this bird is 
now in your county Museum. As I am on the subject of Indian 
Falcons, it occurs to me that the following record of quarry taken 
by the Flawks of Captain Biddulph and a brother falconer in 
N.-W. India between the beginning of November, 1888 and 
February 15th, 1889, may not be without interest to those of you 
who care to know what can be done by good Hawks in a good 
hawking country. The record stands thus: — 24 Herons, 17 
Houbara Bustards, 13 Glossy Ibis, 7 Egrets, 1 White-necked 
Stork, 1 Bar-headed Goose, 4 Buddy Sheld-Ducks, 33 Mallard, 
12 Spotted-billed Ducks, 3 Bed-crested Pochards, 16 Pintails, 
24 Gadwalls, 4 Shovellers, 4 White-eyed Pochards, 1 Tufted 
Duck, 68 Teal, 72 Bed-wattled Lapwings, 12 Boilers, 7 various: 
322 head in all. My memory does not servo me exactly as to the 
