GAME BIRDS OF INDIA AND ASIA. I(>7 



Young cocks are more spotted with white than 

 the old birds, and young hens also are spotted on 

 the breast, not pencilled like old ones. 



The bill is black in the cock and dark brown in 

 the hen ; the eyes dark and the legs orange-red in 

 both sexes. 



The sexes both vary in size, but the cocks are- 

 the largest ; one will measure about thirteen and- 

 a-half inches, with the tail four inches and the 

 wing just over six ; the shank is about two. 



The Black Partridge with us inhabits Northern 

 India from Sind to Manipur ; its Southern boundary 

 runs south of Cutch and north of Kattywar, and 

 thence to the Chilka lake in Orissa. To the north- 

 ward it ascends the outer slopes of the Hima- 

 layas, following the river valleys, to about 5,00a 

 feet ; Manipur is its eastern and southern limit, 

 but it has a wide range to the west of India,, 

 ranging through Persia and Asia Minor even to 

 Cyprus. It formerly inhabited Greece, Italy,. 

 Sicily, and Spain, and appear to have been the 

 bird known to the Greeks and Romans as Attagen,. 

 and much esteemed for the table. It has, however,^ 

 become extinct in these western countries, and is 

 evidently a bird which needs careful preservation. 

 This it well deserves, as it is an excellent sporting 

 bird, and very good eating ; in fact, it is one of 

 the most desirable of all partridges. Its strong- 

 hold in India is the Indo-Gangetic plain and the 

 regions adjacent ; it especially frequents high grass 

 and tamarisk scrub near water and cultivation, 

 and often cultivated ground itself. It is generally 

 met with singly or in pairs. The male has a terribly 

 harsh call-note or crow, which he is fond of utter- 



