1 62 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



the distribution of this Francolin in con- 

 siderable detail, but I do not quote their 

 remarks, for since they wrote this bird 

 has been observed in Ceylon, and it may 

 occur in other localities from which they 

 excluded it. 



The habits of this Francolin do not 

 appear to differ in any important respect 

 from those of the Black Francolin, but 

 it seems to affect dry localities in pre- 

 ference to damp ones. I shall quote 

 what Dr. Jerdon says about this bird : 

 " Like its northern congener, it delights 

 in grassy plains and fields, but more 

 affects open, dry and raised plains, with 

 scattered bushes, than the low-lying, 

 damper meadows that the Black delights 

 in. It is always when the grain is ripe, 

 as well as at other times not unfrequently, 

 to be found in wheatfields and other 

 cultivated lands, and occasionally in open 

 and grassy glades in the midst of thin 

 forest jungle. It chiefly occurs in pairs, 

 now and then several, not far from each 

 other. Early in the morning, the cock- 

 bird may be heard uttering his peculiar 

 guttural call or broken crow, Chee-kee- 

 kerray Chee-kee-kerray^ which can be 

 heard a long way off, though by no means 

 loud, and is answered on all sides. On 



