368 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



The season for fantail (or common) snipe was a poor one. At no time 

 during the season were the birds really numerous. I obtained my first 

 specimen on the 2nd October, a normal date here, and two belated indivi- 

 duals on the 14th and 26th April respectively. This last bird was shot 

 near Ohargola and was identified by Mr. R. B. Bather as well as by myself. 

 The other 28 birds obtained that day were pintails. 



There was a great scarcity of jungle fowl in many places. As in these 

 localities no young birds were obtained the theory is held that the early 

 floods destroyed the young broods and nests. In places where conditions 

 were more favourable " murghies " were very numerous. One tea planter 

 shot about 100 on his estate. I only shot three, all old cocks. 



Kalij Pheasants seemed pretty numerous in likely places and I obtained 

 two Rolyplectron Pheasants and could have had more if I had wanted them. 



Hill Partridges were common but Marsh Partridges seemed to have 

 sufiered from the floods and were hard to find. I saw a very small partridge 

 in bamboo jungle which was new to nae. 



1 got the first golden plovers on the 7th of September, shot some on the 

 21st of April, and saw a large company of them on the 26th April. 



Woodcocks were fairly plentiful in January and about a dozen were 

 obtained, not more than 100 feet above sea level. 



Jack snipe were scarce. 



Wood Snipe were said to have been obtained at Marcoli but as they were 

 not identified by any authority the record is not reliable. They were said 

 to have been walked up in heavy cover. I went over the ground with a 

 spaniel but could find nothing but painted snipe. 



I shot a green pigeon, which was alone, with a rosy mauve breast which 

 was new to me. 



I obtained the following species of waterfowl :■ — Pintail duck, spotbill, 

 gadwall, shoveller, red-headed pochard, golden-eye, white-eye, garganey 

 teal, common teal, cotton teal, large whistling teal, common whistling teal, 

 and I saw two species (at least) of geese and some Brahmini Ducks 

 without obtaining any. I saw teal in August but did not record the date. 



I -saw garganeys on the 19th April and also two larger ducks too distant 

 to identify with certainty. Shikaries reported teal on April 29th. 



Altogether I shot 22 species of game birds. 



W. VAL WESTON. 



Prithimpassa, Sylhet, Assam, May 1914. 



No. XXIV.— THE CHINESE FRANCOLIN {FRANCOLINUS 

 CHINENSIS) IN MANIPUR DISTRICT. 



A few days ago, while on tour in the extreme south-east of Manipur 

 valley, I heard the Chinese Francolin {Fvmicolinus chinensis) calling all over 

 the foot hills in a small valley leading south out of the main valley, about 

 two miles south of the village of Pallel. There were also large numbers of 

 the black Partridge [Francoli?ms vulgaris) calling all over the hills and the 

 valley. This is the common partridge of the Manipur valley. That the 

 bird I heard was the Chinese Francolin I am certain, as I had just returned 

 from a tour down the Kabaw Valley in Burma where I shot a cock for the 

 purpose of identification of the species, which is exceedingly common there, 

 and which I had never seen previously. I identified the bird from the 

 descriptions given " The Game Birds of India and Asia" (Finn), "Game, 

 Shore, and Water Birds of India " (Le Messurier) and the "Game Birds of 



