Note 240 — Chapter XXI · STRANGE ARAB DEVICES FOR CATCHING THE PASSAGE SAKER

An Afghan acquaintance told the translator that he had seen demoiselle cranes (k͟har-k͟hare) caught in the following manner at Kabul. Small boys were buried in the sand at intervals, their noses above ground and their arms extended—the arms carefully covered with sand and shingle. The unsuspecting cranes were then slowly driven towards the hidden children. Sometimes two or three birds are caught in this manner. The children are buried on the spot where the cranes rest at night. In Chitral, goshawks are said to be caught by the following device: The top of a bare hillock is selected, scooped out and roofed over, the chamber thus made being sufficiently large to conceal a man. The trapper enters the chamber from the side, and closes the entrance. He then puts through a hole in the roof a live chukor fitted with jesses, and with a leash five or six feet long. The hole in the roof is closed, and the partridge flutters at the extent of its leash. When the goshawk appears, the cries of the chukor warn the trapper. When the goshawk seizes the partridge, it is slowly drawn towards the hole by the trapper. The hawk, feeling resistance, only “binds” the tighter, till it is suddenly seized by the legs from within the hut. The chief places for catching goshawks near Chitral are said to be the Singūr forest; the Bakamak hill; the Makhtāmābād hill; and the Urgutch hill. These are the four Mihtarī places, i.e., hawks caught there are the property of the Mihtar.