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



bush or bramble of raspberries or blackberries. In such, places I several 

 times was fortunate enough to be able to watch the fascinating habits 

 of these little Partridges. They were nearly always in small coveys 

 of from 5 to 10 birds, almost certainly just a pair of old birds with 

 their last family. 



They are quick, yet deliberate in their movements, and scratch 

 about here and there, turning over the leaves, picldng up a seed or 

 two, and then darting away a few paces to a more tempting patch. 

 Perhaps some of the party will then settle down for a siesta, and for 

 this they love a tiny patch of sunshine, where they can bask with wing 

 outstretched, first on one side and then on the other ; but unless it is 

 getting late in the morning, within a few minutes they are once more 

 on the move, and busy with the important occupation of feeding. 



They look like little balls of feathers as they sedately walk about, 

 very neat, yet very soft, their little tails, tucked in tightly, held point- 

 ing almost straight to the ground, their wings held not too close to 

 their bodies, and often quivering as they run, but never extended. 



Flight seems never to be indulged in as an ordinary means of loco- 

 motion, though they are quite good flyers when forced to take to wing, 

 flying much in the same manner as the true partridges, but not so 

 quickly or strongly, and with a much softer whirr of the wings. 



They are very conversational birds, and keep up a constant succes- 

 sion of soft low whistling notes intermixed with notes which may be 

 best described as like very soft coos of a dove. Their call note 

 ■during the breeding season is quite different, a loud, though melodious 

 ■double whistle which carries a very great way even in dense forest. 

 'This note is only used during the breeding season, and then only in 

 the mornings and evenings, and generally, I think, from some elevated 

 position, perferably a branch about 20 feet up in a biggish tree. 



I have found its diet to be both insects and seeds, but Wilson says 

 that it " feeds on leaves, roots, maggots, seeds and berries ; in con- 

 finement it will eat grain ; in a large cage or enclosure its motions are 

 very hvely, and it runs about with great sprightliness from one part to 

 another. It occasionally mounts into the trees, but not so often as a 

 forest bird might be expected to do." Hodgson, however, says " they 

 constantly perch. At the top of Pulchook I flushed a covey of 8 or 

 10, which flew widely scattered, all alighting in the highest trees." 



This certainly agrees with what I have seen of this bird. Possibly 

 it is not so constant a tree percher as the Black-Throated Hill Partridge, 

 and does not roost on trees during the day time so much as that bird 

 does, but whenever I have disturbed them, they have always taken 

 to trees at the end of their flight, and at night they always roost well 

 up in them. 



Hume does not recommend them for the table, he says " They are 

 V'Sry good eating when you can get nothing better ; but when you can 



• . .... they do not repay separate cooking, they are too 



