198 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NA TUBAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVIl 



deposit, apparently deposited on the egg immediately prior to ex- 

 pulsion, and after tlie deposition of tlie colouring matter has been 

 completed. These spots are easily removable with a sharp knife, 

 and the egg then appears to be unicoloured. 



The texture is stout, but fine and generally rather glossy, and it 

 is noticeable that the greener the egg the higher the gloss. 



Hume's expression of sphero-conoidal exactly expresses the shape 

 of most eggs, others are more oval, whilst at the other extremity some 

 may be found which are of quite exaggerated peg-top shape, the big 

 end being almost flat. 



Hume who does not divide the races, gives the average of 70 eggs 

 as 39 '8 X 33*0 mm., practically, however, the whole of these are 

 typical a&i(B as he seems to have had no eggs from Sind, and only 

 5 taken by Cripps in the Duars which might be attributed to md- 

 anonoius. He gives the variation in length as 34 '7 to 45*8 mm., 

 and in breadth as 29 • 9 to 35 • mm. 



The average of 40 eggs which have passed through my hands is 

 35*9 X 31*3 mm. The longest and broadest are 38 "6 x 31*0 mm. 

 and 36*3 x 32 "3 mm., the shortest and narrowest are 32 "6 x 30*4 

 and 35 -2 x 29-4. 



The majority of my eggs are, however, from Behar, where the 

 birds are smaller than in the Western area. 



General Hahits. — The one essential for the Black Partridge is co 

 ver and lots of it, and if this cover is near water, so much the better, 

 but it is not a sine qua non, for many parts of its habitat are very 

 arid and dry. Eajputana and other districts frequented by the 

 Black Partridge elsewhere are very devoid of water except during 

 the rains, yet it seems to hold its own there quite well. 



As regards cover, it really does not seem to matter much what 

 this is, but possibly its favourite consists either of grass a few feet 

 high or scrub jungle, which is fairly thick. They haunt thin forest, 

 date and scrub groves, dense eJcra and nal of river beds and swamps, 

 plains of short grass, not two feet high, and practically any kind of 

 cultivated crop which afiords sufiicient concealment. 



I fear that shooting and trapping by natives at all seasons of the 

 year has greatly decreased the numbers of this fascinating bird over 

 most of its range ; civilization has destroyed many of its favourite 

 haunts, and the crops which have taken the place of the seas of 

 grass and jungle, though forming quite sufficient cover, have brought 

 with them the ever-hungry native. Hume writes of places where he 

 could make sure of bagging 50 couple to his own gun in one day, 

 though even then he adds where " in past times 60, 70 and 80 brace 

 have been thus brought to book." Hume alsotells us of how in six 

 days he and Home shot 1771 brace of Black Partridge in the Aligarh 

 District besides nearly 200 head of other game. I fear that such 



