Note 215 — Chapter XIX · THE SAKER[196] FALCON (F. Cherrug)

There is no letter ch in Arabic. In ʿIrāq, however, k is sometimes pronounced ch. Wakr (wachr) in Arabic is a nest, so “wachrī” might signify “nestling.” An Arab gentleman in Baṣrah (a falconer) told me that the white Saker with drops on the back is called Ḥurr Ṣāfī; the same if of a reddish tinge Ḥurr Shāmī; and that these races are supposed to come from “Persia” and “Syria.” The dark Saker with drops on the back is, he said, called Wacharī Jarūdī, and without drops Wacharī. The best for gazelle, he stated, was the “Persian” and “Syrian.” The Baghdad Sakers are preferred to those of Baṣrah. Sakers are caught in Bushire and taken for sale to Baṣrah, where they fetch as much as seventy rupees. In the Panjab their price varies from three to ten rupees, according to locality and season.