The Institutes of Akbar 216.4

216.4

As soon as the pigeons learn to perform the bazi and the charkh, they are sent to His Majesty for inspection, and are kept for four months in readiness, to exhibit their skill. Charkh is a lusty movement ending with the pigeon throwing itself over in a full circle. If this circular turn be not completely carried out, the movement is called katif (shoulder), and is held in no esteem. Bazi is the same as mu’allaq zadan (lying on the back with the feet upwards, and quickly turning round, in Hind. kala). Some thought that the two wings (katif) meet, which appears to the observer as if it were a mu’allaq; but His Majesty had one wing of a pigeon blackened, when the erroneousness of that opinion became evident. Some pigeons get confused during the bazi and charkh, and come stupified to the ground. This is called ghaltah, and is disliked. Sometimes pigeons hurt themselves and fall down; but often they get all right again when they come near the ground; and taking courage and collecting their strength, they fly up again. A pigeon of the khasah pigeon cots will perform fifteen charkhs and seventy bazis, a feat which will certainly astonish the spectators. In former times, they let eleven or twenty-one pigeons fly at a time; but now-a-days they let off as many as one hundred and one. From the attention which His Majesty has bestowed upon pigeons, they are now so carefully trained as to be let fly at night, even to great heights.