The Shikra[76] is said to be of stouter and finer appearance than either the Pīqū or the Sparrow-hawk and to be trained in India to take the pied crow.[77] It is rarely found in Persia. I have never come across it. God alone knows the facts of the case.[78]
[76] The author, writing from hearsay, has imagined the Shikra (Astur badius) to be a separate species from the Pīqū. In India, shikras are flown, or rather cast, at partridges, quails, mainās, and common crows. Vide also note to scavenger vulture.
[77] Kulāg͟h-i ablaq; the Royston crow, the common crow of Persia, is a different species from the common crow of India. The Royston or Hooked Crow is, for a falcon, a far easier quarry than the rook.
[78] Muhammadans frequently qualify their statements by some such expression, the inference being that men are prone to err and that exact knowledge lies with God alone. It is related of the Prophet that once, on being asked how many legs his horse had, he dismounted, counted with care, and then said, “Four.” Had he made a positive statement from memory, the Almighty might have altered the number to two, or to three, and so convicted him of error.