falco peeegeinator. 
109 
in the hunt as its larger and more esteemed congener ; but of course is not so powerful in its attack on large 
birds It is taught to catch partridges, florikin, and jungle-fowl by native falconers m India, and is usually 
caught by the ordinary contrivance of bird-lime, with which it comes in contact on stooping at a decoy-bird 
Jerdon who narrates, in his work on the ' Birds of India/ that it is trained for what is called « a standing gait, 
0 r the a rt of hovering or circling in the air over the falconer and his party, says that « it is indeed a beautiful 
sight to see this fine bird stoop on a partridge or florikin which has been flushed at some consi cia e is ance 
from it, as it often makes a wide circuit round the party. As soon as the lalcon obseives t e & ame w ic 1 a 
been flushed, it makes two or three onward plunges in its direction, and then darts down obliquely with ha - 
closed wings on the devoted quarry with more than the velocity of an arrow.” I can testify to the accuracy o 
this account of the Shahin’s powers of flight, as I was once myself an eye-witness to its capturing a a - 
Swift at Trincomalie. A little colony of these birds had their nests in a solitary palmyra-palm which 
near the sea-beach; and one evening I observed one of these Falcons, which had been haunting the cliffs of the 
Fort, dash past me, and, mounting higher and higher, go away at a tremendous pace, and with a twisting 
flight for about 300 vards. I could not see at the moment what he was pursuing, as it was getting dusk , out 
he & suddenly checked "himself and shot down with meteoric swiftness almost into the sea. I then perceived a 
poor little Swift just in front of him ; close to the surface of the water it dashed along m a horizontal direction 
for about 100 yards, closely pursued by the Falcon, and then twisted hither and thither for the space of a ew 
seconds, the Shahin following its every movement, until he struck it with his talons, and, seizing it m is i , 
flew past me to the cliff. These Falcons frequently sally out thus from their perch about sunset, and make a 
meal off the first unlucky bird that crosses their path; and they would seem to have rather a partia ity oi 
Swifts and Swallows, for I noticed the bird I shot at the Yakka rock dart at a Swallow that was flying about 
the cliff They may be always distinguished from the Peregrine on the wing, even at some little distance, by 
their smaller size and by the conspicuous blue-grey of the rump. I have now and then observed them perch on 
trees ■ bet 1 think it is the exception for then to do so, a, they prefer the rook, of the precipices about »h,cn 
hex almost entirely live. This species lives exclusively on birds ; and Jerdon remarks that in Into _ tt k, Us 
of game, partridges , nails, ftc„ 
useful in falconry. It is more highly prized by the natives than any Falcon in the East, the Feie 0 
considered even second to it. 
Nidification. — But little is known concerning the nidification of this Falcon. I have no doubt wbatever 
but that it breeds in such localities as the Yakka rock, Alagalla Peak, and perhaps in the low country m . 
like Yakdessagalla, Rittagalla, Friars Hood, &c. It nests usually on inaccessible clifls. Jerdon mentio ^ 
three eyries in India— one at Rutoor, another in the Nilghiris, and a third near Mhow. It builds a nest o 
sticks on a projecting or receding ledge of rock, and sometimes takes possession of the old nest of another 
Raptor Mr. Hume speaks of an egg taken by Mr. Blewitt in the Raipoor district as being narrow and oval, 
of a pale pink ground-colour, clouded with pale purplish, and finely speckled and spotted with deep reddish 
brown. It measured 2*0 by P43 inch. This egg was taken in January; hut Jerdon says it lays also m 
March and April. 
