408 Mr. J. A. Bucknill on the 



This Partridge thrives well and breeds in captivity. It is 

 a very common cage-bird in the bazaars, and becomes 

 extremely tame. 



In 1883 an attempt was made by Mr. J. P. Middleton to 

 introduce the English species, Perdix cinerea. A few pairs 

 were turned down in standing barley at Kolossi farm, near 

 Limassol, but the experiment was not a success, and their fate 

 is a mystery. 



952. Francoljnus vulgaris Steph. 



The Francolin is described from Cyprus as early as 1738, 

 by Dr. Pococke, and is referred to at some length by 

 numerous writers. 



It is therefore unnecessary to say more than that it is a 



resident, and, except in a few remoter localities such as the 



Papho and Karpas districts where there is ample cover, is now 



by no means common. It is, unfortunately for itself, not a 



wary bird and. very easy to shoot, and, in consequence, although 



protected by law entirely until 1911 it still, it is to be feared, 



frequently falls a victim to unscrupulous gunners. It need 



hardly perhaps be stated that it is far less abundant than it 



was forty or fifty years ago. It is, however, still well known 



to all local sportsmen, and I think that, on the whole, the 



protection supposed to be afforded to it by the law has 



not been altogether without effect. When shooting in the 



Papho district in the autumn of 1908 I saw as many 



as a dozen individuals in a day. It nests in late April, 



May and early June, and I have notes of clutches of from 



eight to eleven eggs from April the 24th to June the 4th. 



I am told that it is an excellent table bird. The mention 



of the occurrence of the " Ptarmigan " in Cyprus by an 



anonymous writer in < The Field ' of April the 27th, 1889, 



is obviously a mistake for " Francolin." 



958. Coturnix communis Bonnaterre. 



The Quail has been well known in Cyprus for centuries 

 and is constantly referred to by mediaeval writers. 



It is at the present day a regular visitor in some numbers 

 on its spring and autumn migrations, and, whilst a few 



