THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 429 



Cripps, who worked the same swamps in Sylhet as I myself shot 

 over some years later, says that when feeding in the more open 

 parts one bird of the flock always mounts sentry on a bush or hicrh 

 up in the reeds. I have never noticed this myself, but certainly 

 the birds are very fond of climbing high up into bushes and reeds 

 and even into a kind of low thorny tree which grows freely in 

 swampy places, and thrives when the water comes ten feet up their 

 trunks in the late summer. They roost regularly in such places 

 and never actually on the ground, but the place most often selected 

 is some dense patch of elephant grass or nal, much broken down 

 and tangled so as to make plenty of horizontal perching accom- 

 modation. 



Their crow or call has been syllabised well by Col. Tickell a 

 "chuckeroo chukeroo chuckeroo", but this is nearly always preceded 

 by several single chucks or croaks before the bird gets into the swin^ 

 of its full cry. It is a rather harsh call, and not nearly so musical or 

 joyous as that of the Black Partridge, and is said to be much more 

 like that of the Grey Partridge, a bird with which it is much nearer 

 akin in every way. 



The Kyab is practically omnivorous, every kind of seed and grain 

 is eaten as well as young shoots of mustard, paddy and other 

 crops. It also eats insects of all kinds, and a bird shot in Sylhet had 

 been feeding on tiny little shell fish. Young birds are very good for 

 the table, and even the old ones are quite nice eating, especially if 

 they can be kept for a short time. 



In disposition the Swamp Partridge is much more pugnacious than 

 any of the other Francolins, and the Sylhet Mahomedang kee]) 

 both this bird and the Watercock {Gallicrex cinereus) for fighting 

 purposes and often much money is lost and won over a main 

 between two champion Kyahs. They fight very much hke Game- 

 cock, but use their bills far more and their spurs far less. Each 

 bird seems to aim at getting his adversary by the skin and 

 feathers of the throat and neck, and once the coveted hold is 

 obtained the lucky bird hauls the other round and round until the 

 hold gives or the other bird falls exhausted. The fight never, as 

 far as I know, proceeds a I'outrance as before such a point is 

 reached the owner of the beaten bird pays up and rescues his 

 warrior from further mauling. 



Some of the captive birds are trapped in nooses to which they are 

 called up by a decoy bird, but others are hatched from the eggs by 

 the natives themselves, who tie them in a cloth round their bodies, 

 the heat of which suffices for the purpose. At onetime practically 

 every Watercock kept in captivity was hatched in this manner as 

 well as many of the Kyahs, but the habit was dying out even thirty 

 years ago, and perhaps has now quite disappeared. 



