Descriptive List of the Common Birds 
your feet, and before you can say “ Jack 
Robinson ” a small brown bird has arisen with 
a flutter and dashed off a few inches over the 
tops of the heads of corn in the adjacent field. 
After a flight of twenty or thirty yards the 
bird drops into the corn—that is all you are 
likely to see of the quail unless you shoot it or 
net it. 
171. Coturnix communis: The Common or 
Grey Quail. (F. 1355), (J. 829), (+11, but 
with a very short tail.) 
A brown bird much spotted and barred with 
black, having some white streaks along the 
length of the back. Short legs. 
A winter visitor to India. (Illus. I. G. II., 
p- 133-) 
The Partridges 
These are game birds, and so lie outside the 
scope of this book. I will, however, describe 
briefly two common species, whose calls are to 
be numbered among the commonest sounds 
heard in the jungle. 
172. Francolinus vulgaris: ‘The Black Part- 
ridge, or Common Francolin. (F. 1372), (J. 
818), (+IIT.) 
The cock is a handsome black bird, with 
N 193 
