Descriptive List of the Common Birds 



your feet, and before you can say " Jack 

 Robinson " a small brown bird has arisen with 

 a flutter and dashed off a few inches over the 

 tops of the heads of corn in the adjacent field. 

 After a flight of twenty or thirty yards the 

 bird drops into the corn — that is all you are 

 likely to see of the quail unless you shoot it or 

 net it. 



171. Coturnix communis: The Common or 

 Grey Quail. (F. 1355), (J, 829), ( + 11, but 

 with a very short tail.) 



A brown bird much spotted and barred with 

 black, having some white streaks along the 

 length of the back. Short legs. 



A winter visitor to India. (Illus. I. G. II., 

 P- I33-) 



The Partridges 



These are game birds, and so lie outside the 

 scope of this book. I will, however, describe 

 briefly two common species, whose calls are to 

 be numbered among the commonest sounds 

 heard in the jungle. 



172. Franc olinus vulgaris : The Black Part- 

 ridge, or Common Francolin. (F. 1372), (J. 

 818), ( + III.) 



The cock is a handsome black bird, with 

 N 193 



