THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 655 



never breeds in grass-land, but always in forest and generally in such 

 forest as is a good deal broken up, and has heavy undergro^vth. The 

 nest itself is nearly always placed imder the shelter of a bush, or some- 

 times at the foot of a rhododendron or some other tree. There appear 

 to be no records of its breeding in Eingal or other bamboo jungle, 

 though it often frequents these when feeding. 



I have taken very few of their eggs myself, but have good series 

 taken by Messrs. Primrose, MiilJer, Mackintosh, Masson and others 

 in Sikkim- some taken by Mr. S. L. Whymper m Garwal, and have 

 seen a few others from Nepal, and the hills North of the Brahmapootra. 



The number of eggs laid varied from 4 to 8, but I or 5 seems tlve 

 most common number. In colour they are a very pure china white, 

 with quite a respectable amount of gloss, sometimes rather highly 

 developed. The surface is very fine and smooth, though the te.^tnre 

 is close and strong, nearly as stout as are tht eggs of the English Pai't- 

 ridge, In shape they are ovato- pyrif orm, not varying much, but 

 occasionally running to true oval or to true pyrif orm, but with 

 rounded, not flattened, big end. 



Like all the Hill Partridges, this species lays eggs which vary very 

 greatly in size, though perhaps not quite to the same extent as those 

 of the Kufous-necked Hill Partridge. 



A hundred eggs average 38*4 by 29" 5 mm., and the extremes in 

 length and breadth are : maxima 42'2 by 31'4 and 42"1 by 33'3 mm.; 

 minima 356 by 28*7 mm. and 35'8 by 27*4 mm. 



General Habits. — The Common Hill Partridge is found principally 

 between 5,000 and 9,000 feet, but it both ascends higher and descends 

 lower. Stoliczka reported it as being- most common betwesn 10,000 

 and 14,000 feet, but, as Hume points out, this is undoubtedly iucorrect; 

 though it may wander up to 14,000 feet or so, it is rare at such heights, 

 or, indeed, anywhere over 10,000 feet, or, at the outside, 12,000 feet. 

 Below 5,000 feet it is not common, I found it occasionally at 4,000 

 feet in N. Cachar, and the same in the Naga Hills. In the Darjilmg 

 District it may wander down below 5,000 feet, but is most common 

 between 7,000 and 9,000 feet ; in Garhwal it appears also to be most 

 common at these heights, but in Nepal 6,000 feet is possibly its favour- 

 ite altitude. It is essentially a bird of heavy forest country, and 

 prefers such as is broken up by ravines, rocks and hill torrents. It 

 likes lots of imdergrowth such as bracken, ferns, daphne, and the 

 multitudes of plant and bushes which grow in these beautiful forests 

 and, throughout the more Western portion of its range, it is said to 

 keep much to such. In the Hills South of the Brahmapootra, however, 

 I found them often frequenting more open places. The forests them- 

 selves were, as in the West, very dark, the sun just glinting in patches 

 through the leafy roof, but underfoot were little glades of moss and 

 scattered rocks and stones with here and there a tmy stream, its 

 banks almost bare except for a few ferns and perhaps an odd jasmine 



