MISCELLANEOUS. 417 



III.— PROPOSED INTRODUCTION OF THE BLACK PARTE ! D( HE 

 AND OTHER GAME INTO THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF BOMBAY. 



I BEG to suggest that an attempt should be made to introduce the Ch.uk or 

 into this part of India. Such an effort would certainly succeed on the 

 Aravellis and Vindhyas, along the big rivers. Again, the Painted Partridge is 

 our only Southern-Bombay bird ; the Black Partridge, a far finer bird, ought 

 to take advantage of the R.-M. Railway and settle in our grass bira. He 

 flourishes on the hot grassy plains of Rajputana, amid the tamarisks of the 

 Indus, and along the banks of the Jheluin in Kashmir ; any climate seems to 

 suit him, wet or dry. 



The Chukor stretches across Asia, Africa and Europe, from the Chenab to the 

 Rhone ; I have found its nest, at 11,000 feet, in Baltistan, and it ranges through 

 the low hot levels of Mekran and Arabia. It is a very gamey bird, and, if a 

 fair chance were given it, it would certainly thrive on our Ghats everywhere. 



The Bengal Florican also might be tried. Game is said to be getting scarcer. 

 Shikaries should try to introduce new blood. 



Again the Markhor might nourish on the Nilgiris ; it lives at 7 to 9 thousand 

 feet in the rainy Pir Panjal, and the Nilgiri climate would suit it perfectly. 

 There are several African animals, antelopes and so forth, that would thrive in 

 India, and might be easily introduced. 



Let our Sectional Committees take this suggestion up, if they think it worth 

 acting on. Money would certainly be forthcoming for a well-considered 

 scheme of introducing to the Bombay side animals that would probably thrive 

 there, and give good sport to future generations of sportsmen. I look to this, 

 rather than to vexatious Game laws, to provide such shikar in the future as has 

 been enjoyed in the past. 



H. LITTLEDALE. 



Baroda, September, 1890. 



IV.— PERIODICAL FLOWERING OF STBQBILANTHES, SPP., AND 

 OF JECHMANTSEBA TOMENT.OSA, NEES. 



It has been observed that certain species of Strobilanthes become periodically 

 conspicuous by the abundant production of flowers during particular years. 

 Asa notable example, Strobila/ntJies callosus, Nees, may be mentioned. This is u 

 shrubby species common on the Western Ghats, also on Mount Abu in Rajpu- 

 tana, where it thickly covei-s some of the higher slopes on the western side of 

 the range. The profuse flowering of this species is said to take place here about 

 every 8 or 9 years, and I was fortunate in finding it ha this condition when 

 visiting Abu in 1887. It also occurs in the Nimar district on the range of hills 

 between the Nerbudda and the Tapti valleys, where I found specimens in 1888, 

 which had not flowered in thai year. The natives there call il Kara, and ' 



