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went off with a loud defiant cackling. As they did not return, though patiently waited for, we 

 divided our party of four, which was made up of a strapping young Turk, a celebrated sportsman 

 called Zedi Aijlik (the seven-months one), our servant John Ross, and myself. Agreeing to 

 meet on the ridge of the mountain, Zedi Aijlik and myself took the right side, the others the 

 left. While climbing laboriously up the snow-filled gullies and round the cliff-ledges the echoes 

 of shouts sounded in the distance. Replying, we made in their direction, and reached a bay- 

 shaped corrie, on the opposite side of which our coadjutors were perceived. The clear mountain- 

 air enabled us to hear the good news that they had found a nest ; and with considerable difficulty 

 we joined them. It appeared that they had seen a cock bird; and while endeavouring to stalk 

 him by clambering up a steep narrow gully, the female had flown off a small ledge close above 

 their heads. The nest was placed on this ledge, and was sheltered by an overhanging rock, and 

 further by the gnarled old stump of a juniper, which, no doubt, owed its existence at this 

 elevation of 7000 feet to the very sheltered character of the position. 



" The nest was a deep round hollow scraped in the stony earth, and slightly lined with dry 

 grass and a few feathers of the bird itself. It contained six eggs. 



" The eggs are in colour dull light clay, with a faint oil-green tinge, some darker, others 

 lighter in ground-colour. The markings are lighter or darker red, in spots or small blotches. 

 Some specimens are but slightly marked, others closely spotted. In size they agree with those 

 of Tetraogallus Caucasians. 



"The other nests, which were brought from the Bulgar dagh, were described as being of 

 similar construction, except that one of them was lined with bunches of green fir-needles. From 

 general accounts it seems that six to nine is about the usual number of eggs laid ; but the old 

 chief of Anascha told us how a year or two ago a nest of seventeen eggs was brought to him. 

 These he put under a hen ; and fifteen were hatched. "W hile young the little Ur-kekliks ran 

 about the premises like common chickens, and as they grew older went out to the rocky hills 

 close by, coming home every evening ; but when spring arrived they all gradually disappeared, 

 and never returned. As all the sportsmen repudiated the idea of seventeen eggs being found in 

 one nest, it is probable that old Hadji Achmed had two layings brought to him at the same 

 time. 



"Stripping some bark from the old juniper, a rough plait was made, which, the ends being 

 turned up and tied together, formed a very decent kind of basket for our spoil. Two men were 

 left to watch for the return of the owners of the nest ; and the old sportsman and myself went 

 up to the ridge of the mountain. Here we examined a long line of cliffs by rolling down 

 stones. Only one hen bird was seen, which probably rose off a nest ; but the place was utterly 

 inaccessible. On rejoining our companions we found the birds had only once flown past, and 

 had gone further on. Taking that direction home, the pair dropped suddenly off a range of 

 rocks above us, and the male was shot. This additional good luck made the way home down 

 the steep flowery slopes and through the thick woods seem short enough. 



" The large series of T. caspiits which was obtained exhibits a few slight variations in size 

 and colour. The general grey of the plumage is, in some specimens from the Bulgar dagh, 

 strongly tinged with reddish fawn, while in others from the Ala dagh it is exceedingly pure. 



