200 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVII. 



tte tame lie rushes in and gets caught. They are great fighters, and 

 occasionally a tame decoy gets killed by a wild bird that has avoided 

 the nooses, for they are very savage in their attacks, and their long 

 sharp spurs soon inflict a fatal wound. 



In captivity they are not used for fighting purposes, or at least they 

 are very seldom so used, though Capt. C. E. S. Pitman informs me 

 that round about Ferozepore they are some times trained for this 

 purpose, but they become tame rapidly, and can be allowed loose 

 in a very short time. They run at a great pace, and their predilic- 

 tion for this form of movement seems even stronger in captivity 

 than when wild as they always answer their master's call on foot 

 rather than by flight. 



They crow in captivity all through the months of March, April 

 and May and again, though less often, in August and September, 

 calling continuously through the early morning and after the cool 

 of the evening. In their normal state they are said to call occasion- 

 ally throughout the year, though principally in March and April, 

 but wherever they are I think that when heard calling they will also 

 be found to be breeding. 



The BlacK Partridges are principally grain and seed-feeders, but 

 also eat any small insects and a good deal of green food. As 

 a dish for the table, most peoj)le consider them rather dry and 

 flavourless, but they are not a bad change from endless fowl or goat 

 when one is in camp. 



Franc oLiNus feancolinus henrici. 

 The South Persian Black Partridge. 



Francolinus henrici.- — Bonap, Compt. Rendu. XLII., p. 882 (1856) (Sindh). 



Francolinus orientalis bogdanovi. — Zarudny, Orn. Monatsb. XIV., pp. 151, 152, 

 (1906) (Mesopotamia). 



Francolinus orientalis arabistanicus. — Zarudny. & Harms., Orn. Monatsb. 

 XXI, p. 54 (1913) (Zagrossisclie and Mesopotamische Gebite Persians). 



Perdix francolinus. — Lath. Ind. Orn. II., p. 644 (1790) (part); Temm., 

 Pig. et Gal. III., p. 340 (1815) (part) ; Vieill. Tabl. Ency. Meth. I., p. 214 

 (1823). 



Francolinus vulgaris. — Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. Asiat. Soc, p. 251 (1849) (N. In- 

 dia, etc.) ; Adams, P. Z. S. 1858, p. 502 (Bombay, Bengal, etc.) ; id, ibid, 

 1859, p. 186 ; Irby, Ibis, 1861, p. 236 (Oudh & Kumaon) ; Jerd., B. of I. III., p. 

 558 (1864) ; Tilippi, Viag. Pess. I., p. 351 (1865) (Persia) ; Hume, N. & E. In. 

 Birds, p. 537 (1873); Hume, Str. Feath. I., p. 226 (1873) (Sind) ; Le Mes., 

 Str, Feath. III., p. 379 (1875) (Sind); Schalow, Jour. f. Orn., 1876, p. 186. 

 (Persia) ; Blanf., East Persia II., p. 273 (1876) (Baluchistan, etc.) ; Doig., 

 Str. Feath. VIII., p. 371 (1879) (E. Xarra) ; Butler, Cat. B. of Sind, p. 54 

 (1879) ; Hume & Mars. Game-Birds^ II., p. 9 (1879) ; Murdoch, Str. Feath. 

 X., p. 168, (1881), (Sind) ; Swinh. Ibis, (1882,) p. 119 (S. Afghanistan) ; Gates 

 ed. Hume's N. & Eggs III., p. 428 (1890) ; Rattray, Jour. B. N. H. S. XII., 

 p. 345, (1898) (Thull); Blanf., Fauna. B. I. IV., p. 136 (1898); Gumming; 

 Jour. B. N.H. S. XVI., p. 692 (1905) (Seistan); Whitehead, Ibis, p. 269 

 (1909) (Kurram) ; id., Jour. B. N. H. S. XX., p. 969 (1911) (Kurram). 



