408 TETRAONUm 



Chertsey by a boy, who, hearing the call-note of a bird, 

 whistled a similar note in answer ; the bird was deceived 

 by the imitation, and came so close up to him that he 

 killed it with a stone. 



In addition to those examples already recorded, I may 

 mention that one was shot in October, 1845, at Chelsham 

 Court, near Godstone ; two at Rotherfield, near Tunbridge 

 Wells,* in January, 1850 ; and one shot at Col vend in the 

 summer of 1852, now in the possession of Mr. Currie, a 

 farmer, at Barclay-Colvend. This is considered by Sir 

 Wm. Jardine, from whom I received the notice, to be the 

 first example killed in Scotland. 



A correspondent, residing in Staffordshire, thus describes, 

 in the Magazine of Natural History, the habits of the Ortyx 

 Virginiana in confinement : " A few years ago I pur- 

 chased two brace of these elegant little birds from Mr. 

 Cross, of Exeter Change, London, and brought them home 

 with me in the coach. I have a small garden, walled 

 round, and covered over with wire, into which I turned 

 them, but each separated from the other by a wire par- 

 tition. Towards the latter end of May, I perceived one of 

 the cock birds carrying straws, and twisting them about 

 over his head ; and I found they were making a nest with- 

 in a bundle of pea-sticks, which were placed in the garden 

 for them to run under and hide themselves. This nest was 

 the joint production of male and female ; it was placed on 

 the ground within the pea-sticks, and shaped much like a 

 Wren's, with a hole on one side, and covered over at top. 

 After the hen had laid about twelve eggs she began to sit, 

 and with as much assiduity as our common hen. When I 

 thought it was her time to hatch, I examined her nest, and 

 found it deserted, and the egg-shells, which had evidently 

 contained young birds, lying about. Much pleased with 

 * Zoologist, 1850, pp. 2700, 2771. 



