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



Although never getting big bags, he obtained very fair sport with 

 the Painted Partridge by driving the grass and scrub round culti- 

 vation. The birds were very clever at squatting close until the 

 beaters were almost on them, when they doubled back through 

 their legs or rose and doubled back over their heads, giving no 

 chance of a shot. At other times they rose well and gave capital 

 shots as they crossed the open. 



In Hume's time Laird wrote : " 7 or 8 brace of Painted Partridges 

 with 15 brace of Quail, etc., would be here (Belgaum) reckoned a 

 good bag for one gun ", and probably much the same would be the 

 case now. In a few other localities they may be rather more numer- 

 ous and rather larger bags possible, but I have heard of no place 

 where much over 20 couple can be hoped for in a day's shoot. 



Hume says that they fly faster and take more hitting than the 

 Black Partridge, and are about the equal in pace to the English Par- 

 tridge. 



Other sportsmen say that it does not fly nearly so fast as our 

 home bird, and that though it may make more fluster and fuss as 

 it rises, it is much easier to hit, and takes less hitting to bring down 

 than that bird does. 



Possibly a Painted Partridge walked up in grass or scrub is no* 

 much slower than a common Partridge walked up with dogs through 

 crops affording good cover, but is nothing like as fast as a driven 

 bird coming up with the wind and an inherited instinct of what to 

 expect in front of him. 



The call of this bird is not unlike that of the Black Partridge. It 

 has been syllabised by many writers, but perhaps Jerdon's " Chee- 

 kee-kerray Chee-kee-kerray " gives as good an idea of its sound 

 as it is possible to put in words. The birds, both sexes apparently, 

 have also a call to one another sounding like " chuck chuck " 

 repeated softly several times ; this may only be a call note to the 

 young. The latter, according to a writer in the Bengal Oriental 

 Magazine, " begin to call soon and to chirrup like Crickets ", and 

 this cricket-like note is one also uttered by the young of the 

 Black Partridge. I often heard the latter in North Cachar when 

 out big-game shooting, and it was sometime before I found out 

 its origin by putting up a family party of two old birds and three 

 chicks who, on re-settling, commenced chirruping loudly until the 

 whole family was satisfactorily re-united. 



The chicks of the Painted and Black Partridges grow their wing 

 quills very rapidly, and can fly as well as their parents for a short 

 distance when they are little larger than sparrows. 



The flesh of the Painted Partridge is rather dry, but quite plea- 

 sant, and has sometimes been described as excellent. 

 {To he continued.) 



