CHAPTER V 



QUAILS, PARTRIDGES, SPUR FOWL, JUNGLE FOWL, 

 PEA FOWL, AND OTHER JUNGLE BIRDS 



To turn now to bird shooting on dry land, we have a 

 few varieties well worth the attention of sportsmen. Be- 

 ginning with our smallest game birds, the quail family, we 

 have three varieties, the black-breasted bustard-quail ( Turnix 

 taigoor) coming first as the one most commonly met with. 

 This bird, apart from the black breast, may be roughly 

 likened to a miniature partridge, about 5 to 6 inches in 

 total length, and as it is only plentiful enough to make it 

 worth special attention in very few parts of Ceylon, I hope 

 my readers will be satisfied with the above description. 

 These little birds may be met with in any open grassy or 

 weed-grown country from an elevation of about 2000 feet 

 to sea-level. The females utter a peculiar kind of " purr," 

 which can be heard some distance, and which attracts other 

 females, the meeting ending in a fight. It is very difficult 

 to make these birds fly without dogs, but when they do get 

 up they fly, with a "whirr," at great speed for about 50 

 yards and then settle with extraordinary suddenness. You 

 require to be pretty nippy with your gun to bring them to 

 bag, though once you get accustomed to their peculiar 

 flight it is easy enough. Abandoned dry grain clearings 

 are favourite resorts and I get a few every year in these 

 places near the estate. The most I ever got at one time 

 was five, which I bagged for as many shots one evening. 

 They are excellent eating. 



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