6 THE SNOW PARTRIDGE. 



well-flavoured, and, if kept a few days, something like Grouse 

 They breed near the limits of vegetation. I have often met 

 with the young chicks — sometimes a single pair of old birds 

 with their young brood ; and sometimes several old birds and 

 two or three broods of chicks — apparently six or seven in a brood. 

 When alarmed, the parent birds exhibit all the distressful anxiety 

 so common with their tribe, and endeavour, by drawing the 

 attention of the intruder to themselves, to decoy him from the 

 spot. They do not counterfeit lameness like some,* but walk 

 away before him and call out in the most plaintive manner. 

 The young squat close on the ground, or creep beneath the 

 "stones ; for the herbage where they breed is never sufficiently 

 high to hide even the smallest bird. 



" The same cause that prevents the Snow Pheasant from 

 being often fired at — that of nobler game being expected near the 

 place — in the like manner protects the Partridge. When once 

 found, no bird can be easier to shoot ; and if the ground be 

 favourable, they can be followed backwards and forwards 

 till nearly the whole flock are killed. In spring they will gen- 

 erally be found in places where the snow is still laid in large 

 patches and the herbage just springing up where it has recent- 

 ly melted. After the rains they will be near the limits of 

 vegetation." 



Very little is known of the nidification of the Snow Par- 

 tridge. Mr. Hodgson notes that they breed on the ground, 

 near snow level, under jutting rocks. Mr. Wilson writes : 

 " It breeds on the high ridges jutting from the snow, at eleva- 

 tions of from 12,000 to 15,000 feet, when the ground is tolerably 

 broken and roughish, neither very rocky nor on what we call 

 * slopes.' The hills between the head waters of the Ganges and 

 Jumna, and Jumna and Tqnse, are favourite breeding grounds. 

 The chicks have first been observed about the 20th of June." 



For years he has been vainly attempting to procure the eggs 

 for me — quite recently his people succeeded in obtaining four. 



Unfortunately they were hard set when taken, and did not 

 reach him for more than three weeks. The consequence was, 

 that all were cracked, the contents in a state of putrefaction, and 

 the shells so disintegrated, that when placed in water they 

 went to pieces and the colour rubbed off. 



" So," says Mr. Wilson, " all we have got is a sight of Snow 

 Partridges' eggs. They are very large, intermediate in sizes 

 between those of the Chakor and Koklass : dull white, freckled 

 all over with reddish brown, like the Koklass, but without 

 blotches of colour" 



* I, however, have seen them do this, and when close on the brood, the old ones 

 will often let you get within a couple of yards. — A. O. H. 



