FRANCOLINS. 203 



of abdomen deep chestnut red, with' dashes of buff on the flanks. Tail dusky, with 

 bars speckled with gray and rufous. The male has short spurs, and weighs from six- 

 teen to twenty-two ounces. 



The bamboo-partridges, so-called from their habit of haunting dense grass or 

 bamboo jungle, are four in number, and compose the genus .Bambusicola. They 

 differ from all the other species of this family which have thus far preceded them, 

 save L. nivicola, by the presence of sharp spurs on the tarsi of the males. They are 

 rather large birds, of a reddish-brown plumage. Two species are found in China, one 

 in Burma and one in Borneo. Allied to these is Caloperdix octulens, a very handsome 

 gamey-looking partridge, the male not infrequently having double spurs. It is a rare 

 species, and but little is known of its habits, for its chosen abode is the dense and 

 primeval forests of the Malay Peninsula, through which wild elephants and buffaloes 

 make the only paths. The head, neck, and undeY parts are bright rufous, flanks barred 

 with black. Mantle black, feathers edged with white, back and upper tail-coverts 

 black, with V-shaped marks of bright rufous. Wings reddish-brown or grayish, 

 each feather with a black spot near the tip. Its length is about eleven inches, its 

 weight half a pound. 



The francolins constitute a very extensive group, having rather lengthened bills and 

 tails, and generally a rich plumage of contrasted colors. The rather restricted genus 

 Francolinus (of which F. vulgaris is the most familiar species) is Asiatic, and con- 

 tains but three species. At one time an inhabitant of Europe, the common francolin 

 is now quite extinct on that continent, but is still found on the island of Cyprus ; but 

 in Asia Minor, Palestine, and throughout northern India, Armenia, Persia, and Belu- 

 chistan it is quite plentiful. The male is a bird of very handsome plumage, with 

 the sides of head, cheeks, throat, and lower parts deep black; crown brown with 

 black spots ; a broad chestnut collar round the neck. Breast and flanks spotted with 

 white, and the abdomen, which is rufous, is barred with the same. A line of white 

 under the eye. Back and wing-coverts blackish-brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 black barred with white; under tail-coverts chestnut tipped with white; tail black 

 and broadly barred with white ; legs reddish orange, and have a short blunt spur. 

 This is a favorite game-bird with sportsmen, is strong on the wing, flying very steadily, 

 lies very closely to a dog, perhaps too closely, and its flesh is very fair food. It fre- 

 quents meadows, cultivated fields, patches of herbage, and jungle. When flushed, it 

 springs perpendicularly into the air to the height of perhaps three feet, before taking 

 its line of flight. They do not go in coveys, but keep in pairs, although many pairs 

 may be in close proximity to each other, and are monogamous. At earliest dawn, 

 wherever these birds are present, their clear call rings out on the morning air with 

 a " Be quick, pay your debts," sort of a exclamation, and this habit frequently leads to 

 the discovery of their place of refuge, and to their ultimate destruction. The usual 

 number of eggs to a nest is from six to ten, of a dull greenish-white color, and the 

 nest is generally a depression in the ground at the foot of some grassy tuft, and par- 

 tially lined with roots and grasses. The common francolin varies greatly in size 

 among individuals, those from Asia Minor being generally the largest. Like many 

 other species of game-birds, old or barren hens sometimes assume the male plumage, 

 and albinos are not uncommon. The other species of this genus are F. pictus oi 

 central and southern India, and F. chinensis of Pegu, India, and southern China. 



The remaining portion of the group of francolins are African, and about thirty in 

 number. They have been divided into four genera or sub-genera Clamator, Sclerop- 



