Journey in Fars, S.W. Persia. 569 



Quail are shot there in January. At Shiraz, an old Persian 

 shikari shewed me an ingenious method of catching Quail. 

 His call was fashioned out of a piece of wood fitted with a brass 

 whistle, which was connected to a drum made of the skin from 

 the head of a Mallard. By tapping twice on the drum, a 

 soft whistle, like the note of the female Quail, is produced. 

 The shikari walks along the corn-fields tapping his call and 

 listening. Presently a male answers, and the shikari, by 

 repeated calls, gradually locates the answering bird and 

 draws nearer to it. When within fifty yards or so of the 

 spot, he stops and spreads a large green net, which rests on 

 the top of the corn or clover, and then lying down with the 

 net between himself and the bird, he continues to make the 

 call. The male rapidly approaches. When within a yard 

 or two of the shikari, it suddenly catches sight of him 

 and flies up into the net. The shikari jumps up excitedly, 

 disentangles the Quail, and, after pulling out all its primaries, 

 carefully puts it away alive into his bag. I have seen male 

 Quail so fascinated by this call that not content to run they 

 flew to it. 



161. Fkancolinus vulgaris Steph.; Blanf. t. c. p. 273 ; 

 Sharpe, Ibis, 1891, p. 111. 



226. cJ ad. April 21st, near Naksh-i-Bahram (3400 ft.). 



The Francolin or Durraj, as it is called in Persian, was 

 common in the marshes near the coast and in the plains near 

 Naksh-i-Bahram and Nurabad, where corn and grass 

 abounded, but I saw it nowhere else. The harsh and frog- 

 like note is unmistakable, so that, although the bird lies 

 very close, its presence can be easily detected. 



162. Ammoperdix bonhami (Fraser) ; Blanf. t. c. p. 274; 

 Sharpe, Ibis, 1886, p. 498. 



228. cJ ad.; 229. ? ad. April 22nd, near Pul-i-mard 

 (3800 ft.). 



The delicately coloured See-see Partridge was very local 

 in its distribution. It was found at various altitudes, but 

 was numerous only in two or three localities, and I did 



SLR. VIII. — VOL. III. 2 p 



