ASTTTR BADRIS. 
25 
Jaffna. In the early part of May it retires into the interior to breed, and is not seen about its maritime haunts 
until October In spite of this local migration to the sea-coast, the Shikra may be found throughout the 
year, in spots suitable to its habits, in most of the inland districts. In the Eastern Province I found it tolerably 
frequent in October, but scarcely met with it at all during two trips to the south-eastern forest districts. In 
the Western Province it is an inhabitant of the cocoa-nut districts bordering the sea-coast, retiring for the 
most part into the interior, as is the case on the east coast, during the south-west monsoon. 
The Shikra is found pretty well all over the plains of India from the extreme south to t e ima ayas, 
into which it ascends to an elevation of 5000 feet. It is a bird of local distribution, notwithstanding its 
extensive habitat. Mr. Ilurne speaks of it in Sindh as being not uncommon m the cultivated portions but 
not found in the “ desert or rocky tracts.” Mr. Y. Ball, again, says that it has a somewhat local distribution 
“ in the large district of Chota Nagpur.” It extends into Burmah and Malayana, and thence, according to 1 ere 
David, into China, that is, if all the birds found in these regions belong to the true backus race; westwarc o 
Sindh it is found as far as Afghanistan ; but this, I believe, is its furthest limit. 
Habits. This interesting little Hawk may be observed in every variety of situation but heavy forest. Cliffs 
on the sea-coast, rocky eminences in the interior, isolated groves of trees, cocoa-nut compounds surrounding- 
native villages, the borders of paddy-fields and cinnamon-plantations dotted with large trees, are among tie 
localities which it frequents. In the wilder parts of the country it is partial to “ cheenas”* and new clearings 
in the forest, where it may be seen flying rapidly from tree to tree, or seated on a blackened stump discussing 
the remains of some lusty lizard. It affects coffee-plantations in the hills and bushy patnas, and is often seen 
in the vicinity of the bungalows, on the look-out, perhaps, for stray chickens. Its favourite diet is the ubi- 
quitous lizard ( Calotes ), the remains of which I have found in every example dissected. It feeds also on mice 
and ]ar«-c beetles ■ and I once shot one on the Fort-MacDonald patnas in the act of darting at a Bulbul. It 
no doubt captures birds when pressed with hunger, but small reptiles and insects form the better part of its 
sustenance It is commonly trained in India, and is taught to catch small game-birds ; but its courageous 
disposition prompts it to attack (according to Jerdon) even " young Pea-fowl and small Herons. It is a 
persistent tormentor of both the Common and the Carrion-Crow in Ceylon, 
them high in the air, darting at them from above and icneat i m\ic o stra ight-on-end movement, 
who usually escape by a sudden swoop into the trees below. Its flight a . .^ 8 ., ki • k 
performed with quick beatings of the wing, , but it sometimes sours to a cous.derub 1c taght jk.ug qut k 
circles, and theu suddenly swoops down, alightiug in an adjacent tree It » » for “he clever 
shrill two-note whistle or scream heard for some distance, and furnishing a capital sound 
imitative powers of the Green Bulbul (Phyllornis jerdoni) . « ,i , . OT1 
Mr. Ball remarks of it, in his avifauna of Chota Nagpur ( f Stray Feathers, 1874), that at the seaso 
the iungle-fires numbers of these birds assemble to hunt the grasshoppers and other orthopterous insects 
which are compelled to take flight before the advancing flames.” Another writer, Mr. Thompson, says that 
they are very fond of frogs. 
Nidification. — I have never succeeded in getting the eggs of this Hawk in Ceylon though it must breec 
freely in the interior and not very far from the sea-coast. The nesting-season, I have ascertained from 
dissection of many examples, is from April to June; and it retires to sequestered jungles to rear its young, as 
I have met with it in the wilds of the interior at this season in a state of breeding In India it breeds 
April and May, and, in some parts, in June. The nest, writes Mr. Hume, “ is usually placed m a fork high 
up and near the top of the tree. It is but loosely built of twigs and smaller sticks, lined with fine grass-roots 
and averages about 10 inches in diameter.” As architects he does not attribute to them much talen , 
remarking that they take “a full month in preparing their nest, only putting in two or three twigs a caj, 
which they place and replace as if they were very particular and had a great eye for a handsome nest; w eieas 
after all their fuss and bother, the nest is a loose ragged-looking affair, that no respectable crow wou 
+n i„ v ; n i ” The eggs are usually three, but sometimes four; they are oval in shape and smoo i 
datable bluish white, either devoid of tunings or sprinkled openly throughout 
with faint greyish specks and spot s. They average 1-55 by 122 inc h. 
* Land cleared by the natives for the purposes of cultivation. 
J 7 ? 
