216 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



this river and the western branches of 

 the Ganges to the Bay of Bengal. The 

 area enclosed by this semicircular line 

 and the coastlines of India to the latitude 

 of the Palni hills in Madras will suffi- 

 ciently indicate the range of this species. 



The late Mr. W. Davison thus records 

 his experiences of this bird in the 

 Nilgiris : " It seems to affect by pre- 

 ference dense and thorny cover in the 

 vicinity of cultivation, but is also found 

 in small isolated patches of jungle or 

 sholas and along the outskirts of the 

 larger forests. . . . When flushed they fly 

 with a cackle, and fly well and strong for 

 a couple of hundred yards. Their flight 

 is very like that of the Kyah Partridge. 

 They are usually found in small coveys 

 of four or five birds, and when flushed 

 do not rise together, but at irregular 

 intervals, dispersing in different directions ; 

 they are often found in pairs, and not un- 

 frequently I have come across single birds. 



" They come into the open in the 

 mornings and evenings to feed, and 

 wander about a good deal. Even after 

 they have retired into the shade, they 

 do not rest quietly but wander about 

 hither and thither under the trees, 

 scratching about among the dead leaves. 



