[491] The late Sirdār Sher ʿAlī, the exiled Wālī of Qandahar, told the translator that in Afghanistan he used to fly eyess chark͟hs at gazelle, and he considered those nestlings the best that were taken from nests either on the ground or close to the ground. His theory was that only bold birds dared to build close to the ground, and that their nestlings were, from the egg, accustomed to the sight of jackals and foxes.
[492] Chark͟h-i āshiyānī.
[493] Bālābān-i tūrī: tūrī from tūr, “net.”
[494] Passage sakers rarely, if ever, require to be given a “train” for this quarry, as they kill it in a wild state.
[495] Bād kardan. An hubara will not hesitate to attack a hawk on the ground, puffing itself up like a turkey cock and striking forwards with its feet. Sometimes several will combine in showing front to the enemy.
[496] The hubara will of course have a few flight-feathers plucked out or tied, to prevent it flying. If many feathers are plucked out it will not look formidable when it puffs itself out. Vide note [499], page 117.
[497] Bi-duzda raftan.
[498] Chashm rā bālā-bīn kardan.
[499] Though the hubara is a large and powerful bird the wild saker preys on it largely. The hubara is not a high-flying bird, and its flesh is palatable. After killing one or two, the most cowardly chark͟h becomes wedded to this quarry. When giving a “train,” it is preferable, in some cases imperative, to give a flying one. The saker, however, takes to the hubara with little or no entering.
[500] Bālābān-i tūrī.