PERDICINiE. 553 



hundred yards, they move slowly up hill or slanting across, often 

 turning to look back, and do not go very far unless followed. If 

 approached from above, they fly off at once without walking many 

 yards from the spot. They seldom in any situation walk far down 

 hill, and never run except for a few yards when about to take wing. 

 The whole flock get up together ; the flight is rapid, downwards at 

 first, and then curving so as to alight nearly on the same level. 

 Where the hill is open and of great extent, it is often for upwards 

 of a mile, at a considerable height in the air ; when more cir- 

 cumscribed, as is often the case on the hills they frequent in winter, 

 it is of shorter duration, perhaps merely across or into the next ridge. 



" They feed on the leaves of plants and grass, and occasionally 

 on moss, roots, and flowers ; grass forms by far the greater portion. 

 They are very partial to the young blade of wheat and barley, 

 when it is first springing up and while it remains short ; and 

 should there be ' an isolated patch on the hill where they are, 

 visit it regularly night and morning. They never, however, come 

 into what may be called the regular cultivation. They are gene- 

 rally exorbitantly fat, but the flesh is not particularly good, and 

 it has often an unpleasant flavour when the bird is killed at an 

 high elevation, probably owing to some of the plants it there feeds 

 upon. Though I have spent many summers on the snowy ranges, 

 I never found the nest or eggs, but in Thibet I often met with 

 broods of young ones newly hatched. There were, however, several 

 old birds, and probably more than one brood of chicks, so I could 

 form no correct idea of the number in one brood. They are hardy 

 birds, and easily kept in confinement, but though they will eat 

 grain, I doubt if they would live long without an occasional 

 supply of their natural green food of grass and plants. They 

 may be kept with the least trouble in large cages, the bottoms of 

 which instead of being solid are made of bars of wood or iron 

 wire, so that the cages being put out on the grass, the birds may 

 feed through the interstices. 



The eggs which have been found by travellers are about the 

 size of those of the Turkey, but, like those of the grouse, are 

 of a more lengthened form ; their ground color clear light olive, 

 sparingly dotted over with small light chesnut spots." 



PART. II. 4 A 



