802 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXII. 



Central Provinces in vast quantities about lat. S0°-15' E. and long. 19°50.' 

 N. on rocky forest covered hills grantoid gneiss grass, and they seem more 

 partial to those covered with Bamboo Jungle. I never saw them in the 

 valleys, unless they had been frightened there from the crest or sides of 

 the hill near the crest. The more open and grassy the crest line of the 

 hill, the more likely was one to find several pairs of Painted Spur Fowl 

 there. As the birds were very plentiful, I shot several to examine and also 

 for skins for the Society, although it was in the close season. However I 

 came across many broods and by this time " cheepers " were very strong 

 or the wing and almost as large as and similarly coloured to the adult hens. 

 I found the best way to beat them out, was to walk along the crest of a 

 hill with a beater in line with one on either side of the hill and about 60 

 yards down it. 



The birds if on the hillside would always run up and, on seeing me at 

 the top, often rose at once and flung themselves headlong down the hill or 

 went shooting along the crest. I never saw one actually fly up a hill in, 

 cold blood, but in cases where birds had scuttled dewn to a lower crest 

 they often broke back, flying part of the way back to their original refuge. 



Both seem often perched in trees when frightened. I did not find 

 them very difiicult to flush, although if the cover and ground suited them 

 they much preferred to run. The males usually rose with what I describe 

 as a curious bubbling half scolding clucking note, which sounds rather 

 complex, but I find it hard to describe. I used to hear Fowl calling on the 

 hills during the night, but did not know whether it was this spur fowl as 

 well as the grey jungle cocks. 



I only once saw them drinking and at that time a pair came down to a 

 pool in a nullah at 6-30 a.m. 



A-t this date (Hay), the breeding season was apparently over. I foimd 

 two nests with the remains of 2 and 3 eggs in them, out of which the 

 young had been hatched. I should not say nest, as the eggs were m a 

 hollow in the grovmd under a projecting piece of rock. They were both on 

 the slope of a hill not far from the crest. i - . 



As regards their food, it seemed to be mostly vegetable matter, but in 

 all their crops that I examined was practically nothing but " mush " and 

 some rotten old and stale Mhowah flowers. 



In regard to the number of spurs, I noted carefully the number carried 

 by all I shot, which was as follows : — 

 1 c^3 + 3,2 c?c?3+2, 2d c?2 + 2;4 $ $2+2, 3 $ $1 + 1,1 $1+0. 



4 immature and almost full grown specimens had no spurs. 



C. R. S. PITMAN, 



27th Punjabis. 



Dera Ismail Khan, N.-W. F. P., 

 mh August 1913. 



No. XIX.— NOTES ON THE GAME BIRDS OF THE BASTI 

 DISTRICT, U. P. 



Living in the adjoining district of Basti, I have read with interest the 

 article in your issue of 20th December 1913 by Mr. A. E. Osmaston, I.F.S., 

 upon the Birds of Gorakhpur. The Basti district resembles Gorakhpur 

 precisely, save that the sal forests that covered a great portion of both 

 within living memory have now totally disappeared from the former. 

 Consequently, with the exception of purely forest forms, such as the red 

 jungle fowl, the Avifauna is identical. I regret that my own knowledge 



