vi. INDIAN SPOETING BIRDS 



most of the sand-grouse, and some bustards ; but care should be 

 exercised in attacking the resident species of these groups, which 

 need consideration as much as the typical game-birds of the 

 pheasant family, under which also come the peafowl, jungle- 

 fowl, tragopans, monauls, partridges, and quails. Of these the 

 common or grey quail is our only migratory visitor, and being 

 excessively abundant and widespread is the only bird of the 

 family which is a real stand-by for shooting in the way that the 

 various wild-fowl and snipes are. Rails are not usually shot, but, 

 as they are regarded as game on the continent of Europe and in 

 the United States, and as Hume thought them worth figuring, 

 they are dealt with here along with their kin, the moorhens and 

 coot. Many of these are also winter visitors. 



But it is of course the pheasants and their allies that are the 

 peculiar glory of Indian sporting birds, and though at present 

 they play a very insignificant part in sport compared to their 

 importance in Europe, systematic protection in the future ought 

 ultimately to render them at least the equals of the water and 

 marsh birds in this connection. Our Indian Empire is beyond 

 comparison the richest of regions in these birds, and is indeed 

 the metropolis of the family, including all the finest groups, 

 except the turkeys, true grouse, and guinea-fowls. 



Sporting birds are not only of interest to sportsmen, but to 

 naturalists they are not surpassed in interest by any other groups 

 on account of the frequent points of interest in their habits, and 

 the unrivalled beauty of plumage which many of them display. 

 The visitations of the migratory species — fluctuations of the 

 commoner kinds and occurrences of the rarer ones — are also well 

 worthy of scientific study, and much has been learnt in these 

 particulars since the publication of Hume and Marshall's valu- 

 able work, which has of course been largely indented on in the 

 present one, as have also the valuable publications of Mr. E, C. 

 Stuart Baker and other contributors to the Journal of the 

 Bombay Natural History Society. 



In recording the occurrence of rare birds, it is not necessary 

 that the sportsman should be able to prepare skins of his speci- 

 mens, or that he should forgo eating them if rations are short ; 

 it is sufficient for purposes of identification if the head and a 



