40 THE CHUKOR. 



me the eggs out of a nest which he found on the 29th July at 

 this elevation. 



They lay, according to climate and elevation, from April to 

 August. 



The nest, composed of a little grass or a few leaves, at 

 times laid on the flat surface of the ground, at others in a slight 

 depression, natural or scraped by the birds, is placed often in 

 fields, often under the shelter of some tuft of grass or dwarf 

 bush on a grassy hill-side, occasionally under some similarly- 

 situated rock barely shaded by tufts of drooping fern. 



Once I found ten eggs, in Lahul, in a perfectly bare saucer- 

 shaped depression in fine shale between two large stones. 



Occasionally I have seen a pretty substantial pad-nest of this 

 species. 



I have taken many nests, but never found more than twelve 

 eggs in any one, and, according to my own experience, should 

 certainly say that eight to ten were the usual number ; others, 

 however, seem to have found more. 



Mr. W. Theobald, speaking of the nidification of this species 

 in the Salt Range, says : — 



" Lays in April and May ; eggs, twelve. Shape varies 

 from ovato-pyriform to blunt ovato-pyriform. Colour, yellowish 

 white or brownish cream colour, faintly ringed and spotted with 

 tan colour. Nest, a few leaves on ground under bushes." 



From Garhwal Mr. Wilson, writes : — " The Chukor breeds at 

 all elevations, from 4,000 or 5,000 feet on the lower hills to 

 12,000 or 13,000 feet on our side of the Snowy Ranges, and to 

 16,000 feet beyond, and in Tibet. The nests may be found in 

 cultivated fields, on grassy hill-sides, stony ravines, almost 

 everywhere, except in forest or amongst precipitous rocks. 

 They are (like those of all the rest of our game birds) holes 

 scraped in the ground. In the lower hills it begins to lay in 

 April, in the higher in May ; and I have found fresh-laid eggs in 

 the middle of June, and at the highest elevations, at quite the end 

 of July. The eggs are from seven to twelve or fourteen, sharp- 

 ly pointed, dirty white, minutely powdered with light brown. 

 Some are spotted and blotched with the same." 



In Nepal, Dr. Scully tells us that : — 



" It breeds from May to June, usually at an elevation of 

 about 6,000 feet. On the 5th June a nest of the Chukor was 

 found at Kakin Powah : it was on the ground, under the 

 edge of a rock, and well sheltered by ferns and small bushes.. 

 The nest was a nice pad of grass and leaves, and contained 

 seven nearly fresh eggs, which were neatly arranged, six in a 

 circle, with the small ends pointing inwards, and the seventh egg 

 filled up the centre." 



He adds : — " In the hills bounding the plains of Kashgharia 

 on the south, at elevations of from 6,000 to over 12,000 feet, the 

 birds were numerous near willow bushes and streams. On 



