110



Correspondence



ago I watched two of these attractive-looking birds, both of which made

the cry when excited, the crest raised ; and from the way they hopped

about near each other seemed to me to be male and female. Is there

any external difference in sexes (these two looked the same size) either

in size or plumage ?


In their voices the above species seems to me a contrast to the

Collared Jay Thrush ( G . picticollis) of China, the latter bird being

(according to those seen) remarkably silent. Is this silence of G.

picticollis due to ones seen by me being probably females ? Or is it

a less noisy species than G. leucolophus ?


Frederick D. Welch.



MR. SHORE-BAILY’S GROSBEAKS—A CORRECTION

Sirs, —The printers have made an error, or I made a stupid mistake

in describing my three Grosbeaks, on p. 93, as from South Africa.

They are, of course, from South America.


Wm. Shore-Baily.


CHUKOR PARTRIDGES


Sirs, —Mr. Portal’s account of his male Cretan Chukor Partridge

assisting in making the nest rather surprises me, as I have had an

extensive experience of the Indian Chukor at liberty in this country,

and have always found his domestic virtues to be conspicuous by their

absence ; he is a bullying and unfaithful husband, and an even worse

father, for not only does he take no part in looking after the young, but

he will attack the chicks, which the hen tries to keep out of his way.

When the females were accompanied by small young the males, after a

good deal of initial quarrelling and bad language, settled down in small

parties by themselves, and did not rejoin the coveys until the latter

were nearly full grown. It would be interesting to know what share

other cock Red-legged Partridges take in the care of the young, and

also whether the cock Chukor is a better father in India than he is in

Europe ; the fact that he is found with the full-grown covey at the

beginning of the shooting season (as I think I have read in the accounts

of some Indian sportsmen) does not, in itself, prove that he has been

with them all along.



Tavistock.



