JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891, 



They arc much persecuted by shikaries, Phansi Pardis, and pthei 

 for the. f the beautiful tail — or rather I should Bay train— whi 



they commence to assume early in May, and which attains its greatest 

 perfection about the middle of June; these trains, as well as the back 

 and breast, always command a ready sale in cantonments. 



The day when this handsome bird will become extinct cannot be 



far distant, unless some stop is put to the enormous traffic in their 



plin ..is now carried on, I notice in the last number of the 



: Hie 21st, 1800, that Cross in that week alone imported no 



less than 70,000 bundles of their feathers. 



The eggs are laid during July and August, and are from six to 

 eight in number, occasionally more ; they are generally found on 

 the ground, in the centre of a bush, in long grass. 



They are delicious eating when fresh, and always fetch a good 

 price ; they are often purchased and placed under a hen ; the chicks 

 when hatched are easily reared if left to themselves, more especially 

 if they get a plentiful supply of their natural food, particularly 

 white ants. 



The eggs are very game-like in appearance, having a great resem- 

 blance to those of the common guinea-fowl, but are of course much 

 larger ; the usual shape is a broad oval, more or less pointed at one 

 end, but they vary a good deal, the average size being two a'ld 

 three-quarter inches in length by a little more than two in breadth. 

 The shell is very strong and thick, is somewhat glossy., and is covered 

 all over with minute pores ; in colour they vary from white to pale 

 reddish- or buffy-whitc, occasionally they are freckled with pale 

 reddish-brown. 



813.— THE GREY JUNGLE FOWL. 



Gall us sonnerati, Tern. 



The Grey Jungle Fowl is most abundant at Aboo, occurring all 

 along the Aravelli range as far as and beyond Erinpoora. It occurs 

 more or less commonly on the Satpooras, and all along the Sahyadri 

 range, but it is somewhat rare in Ratnagiri. At Bclgaum it is fairly 

 common. 



The skins are eagerly bought up by visitors to thp hills, and were 

 il aol : l the impenetrable nature of the bamboo jungle, which forms 



