Francolins 



301 



quite impossible to mention all of the many of the Francolins, we may select the 

 type species (F. francolinus) which is found in Cyprus, Palestine, Asia Minor, 

 and thence through Persia to India. It is about thirteen inches long, the male 

 having the upper back black spotted with white, the lower back barred with 

 white, and the under parts black spotted along the sides with white, 

 while the throat is deep black and the neck encircled with a wide band of 



FIG. 99. Common Francolin, Francolinus francolinus. 



dark chestnut; the female is paler and duller. This pretty little species, also 

 called the Black Partridge, is found in grassy places and cultivated ground, where 

 it feeds on grain, seeds, and insects. It runs well on the ground and when 

 flushed affords excellent sport ; but as it is far from a prolific breeder, it has 

 been exterminated in parts of its range and much reduced in others by excessive 

 shooting. It lays from six to ten brownish buff eggs in a well-concealed nest. 

 The Indian natives often keep it as a cage bird, as it soon becomes perfectly 

 tame, often using it as a lure for trapping wild birds. 



