30 Mr. D. F. Gilfillan on some 



close together, among which I have found some that agree 

 with the description of Shelley's Francolin and some with the 

 description of the Orange River Francolin. At Witbank 

 birds agreeing with both of these species were shot by me 

 apparently out of one covey, but as I had flushed two coveys 

 some little distance away which had both flown in the same 

 direction, it is possible that two distinct species had become 

 accidentally mixed. 



When on a shooting-trip in April, 1906, to some farms 

 near Rhenosterkop, in the Middelburg District, Transvaal, I 

 found that these birds regularly slept in the marshy ground 

 covered with rushes, in the valleys running through mountain 

 plateaux, and on several occasions I saw these birds fly of an 

 evening from the edge of the plateau on which they had 

 remained during the day into the rushes in the valley after 

 sunset, and I have put up coveys in such marshes just before 

 dusk, but have never found them there in the daytime. 



My companions on the shoot and the farmers in that 

 neighbourhood assured me that the Partridges came down 

 every night into the rushes to sleep and went up again on to 

 the mountains before sunrise. 



When hunting for these birds at that time I regularly 

 found them about sunrise on the edge of the plateau over- 

 looking the valley, and later in the day they would be found 

 somewhat further in from the edge. I also found no 

 Partridge scratchings down in the valley, but only on the 

 plateaux. This must also be a protective habit to throw 

 predatory animals otF the scent. 



Mention of this trip brings to my mind a method of 

 preserving birds for eating when the weather is hot, which I 

 learnt from one of my companions. This is not strictly a 

 subject for naturalists, but no doubt there are some who, after 

 having satisfied their desire for specimens^ may sometimes 

 think of their families, or, if bachelors, of their friends. To 

 such the information may be useful. After opening the bird 

 and removing the entrails and crop, cut through the ribs on 

 either side from the opening made to take out the entrails up 

 close to the junction of the wing and body, wash out all the 



