FRANCOLINS. 



209 



trees : if alarmed, they hide in the brushwood in the thickest part 

 of the jungle, not venturing out again till all danger has gone by. 

 If no hiding-place is near, they endeavour to escape by running, 

 and only have recourse to their wings when they have no other 

 means of escape. In their general habits they very much resemble 

 the true partridges ; they breed at the same season, manifest the 

 same care of their young, and are equally prolific. They differ, 

 however, from partridges, inasmuch as they do not frequent cul- 

 tivated grounds ; on the contrary, they prefer the neighbourhood 

 of woods, where they seem to select damp localities abounding 



Fig. 152.— The Common Francolin {Francolimis vui^nti 



in reeds. They live upon berries quite as much as upon grain, 

 and seek eagerly for such worms and insects, as abound in marshy 

 soil; they likewise feed extensively on small bulbous roots, which 

 they dig from the ground with their beaks. Moreover, they are 

 very fond of perching upon trees, more especially during the 

 night ; and their call is much more harsh and noisy than that of 

 the partridge. Their flesh is excellent ; indeed, the European 

 species is regarded as one of the most dainty dishes. 



The typical species of this sub-family is — 



The Common Francolin {Francolimis vulgaris). Unlike its African 

 congeners, which feed on bulbous roots, for procuring which their beak is spe- 

 cially adapted, our European kind differs little in form and food from the true 



