on the Black-breasted or Rain Quail. 367


The female is very like that of C. communis.


This bird inhabits the greater part of India, merely

changing its feeding ground with the change of the season.


About Christmas, 1902, I obtained a pair of these birds,

which had been kept in a large outdoor aviary for some months,

and so were in very nice condition. They were put into an

unheated covered aviary, a few branches of evergreen being

put on the ground as a retreat, and of these they took full

advantage, as they were very shy.


Early in February they were let out into a grassed, wired,

enclosure adjoining, about 20 feet square, the grass however

being too short to afford them cover, which was supplied as

before, in the form of evergreen.


Early in May I found, on several occasions, eggshells, the

contents of which had been eaten. About the middle of the

month, on going into the aviary, I accidentally kicked a tuft of

grass, out of which the hen rushed, and on looking I found a

nest, or at least a slight hollow in the ground, perfectly hidden,

with one egg in it. The next day the egg was lying some three

or four feet away from the nest, which was empty, and during

the next few days several eggs were found lying about in all

directions, some partly eaten and others whole. In Hume’s Nests

and Eggs of Indian Birds Mr. Davidson remarks, “One thing about

these Quails I noticed was the enormous number of nests that

were destroyed. I hardly ever walked out without discovering

broken eggs lying about; but what animal was the culprit

I never could be sure, though I suspect the common Crow

Pheasant and the large Eizard (Blood-sucker) are generally the

offenders.”


Upon reading this it struck me that possibly the birds had

been frightened when laying and had eaten the eggs themselves,

as was the case, I feel sure, with my birds; at any rate it seems

a curious coincidence. All the eggs I found were of the same

brownish colour, but varied greatly in markings, some being

finely speckled, others boldly blotched with dark brown.


This egg-eating habit made me give up all hope of



