2IO LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY 



huge rocks with large bodies of men, when bear-shooting, that 

 the ' Askal ' is seen, and I have sometimes observed two or 

 three in the air at a time, flying straight, with rapid action of 

 the wings, much like Jungle Fowl. They are flushed but once ; 

 and after alighting, run into fissures and holes amongst the 

 rocks, whence there is no dislodging them." 



Captain Baldwin, again, says : "The male does not crow like 

 the Jungle Cock, though both sexes make a kind of clucking 

 noise like a true fowl. When running, these birds carry the tail 

 up, not like a Partridge. I have often watched them when 

 hidden behind a bush or rock, waiting for the beat to approach ; 

 sometimes over a dozen have run past me. They move very 

 fast, and seldom take wing till hard pressed. The flight is 

 swift and rarely at any great height from the ground. The 

 birds take a good hard blow to bring them down." 



Nest. — None ; the eggs being deposited on the bare ground 

 sheltered by a rock or root of a tree, and concealed by sur- 

 rounding tufts of grass. 



Eggs. — Generally longer ovals than those of the Red Spur- 

 Fowl, and uniform pale brownish-buff. Average measurements, 

 i 62 by i'ii inch. 



III. THE CEYLON SPUR-FOWL. GALLOPERDIX BICALCARATA. 



Perdix bicalcaratus. Pennant, Ind. Zool. p. 40, pi. vii. (1769). 

 Perdix zeylonensis, Gmel. S. N. i. pt. ii. p. 759 (1788). 

 Galloperdix bicalcarata, Layard, Ann. Mag. N. H. (2), xiv. 



p. 105 (1854); Legge, Birds of Ceylon, iii. p. 741, pi. 



(1S80); Hume and Marshall, Game Birds of India, i. 



p. 261, pi. (1878); Oates, ed. Hume's Nests and Eggs 



Ind. B. iii. p. 426 (1890) \ Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. 



Mus. xxii. p. 264 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Crown of the head, neck, mantle, and sides 



black, with a wide white shaft-stripe to each feather ; rest of 



upper-parts chestnut, with rather large white black-edged spots 



on the wing-coverts \ chin and throat white \ chest black, with 



