THE GREY PARTRIDGE. 57 



ing being placed over the clump, and the coolies making a 

 rattling noise round the bottom of the grass, which eventually 

 had the effect of making her rise perpendicularly. The nest 

 was carefully fenced in with grass-stocks of the thickness 

 of an ordinary cane, so that ingress and egress for so big a 

 bird must have been a matter of no little difficulty. A por- 

 tion of the stalks having been cut away, disclosed nine eggs ; 

 eight were hard-set, the ninth was abnormally small, and quite 

 fresh" 



Capt. Butler remarks : — 



" The Grey Partridge breeds in the neighbourhood of Deesa 

 in February, March and April, and again in August, September, 

 and October, in all of which months I have found nests. 



" The following are a few of the dates upon which I have 

 taken nests : — 



6th February 1875 ... A nest containing ... 6 fresh eggs 



9th March 1876 ... Do. ... 7 do. 



28th April 1876 ... Do. ... 5 eggs incubated. 



,, „ ... Do. ... 4 do. 



29th ,, ... Do. ... 5 slightly incubated. 



6th August 1876 ... Do. ... 7 fresh eggs. 



10th ,, ... Do. ... 6 do. 



9th September 1876 ... Do. ... 5 do. 



15th October 1876 ... Do. ... 6 do. 



" In almost every one of the above instances the nest was 

 placed either in or under a thick tussock of grass." 



The eggs vary in shape from slightly elongated ovals, a good 

 deal pointed towards one end, to broad peg-tops, but an in- 

 termediate form is the most common. The shells are fine and 

 glossy, and the eggs average decidedly smaller than those 

 of our Common English Partridge. Their colouring, too, is of 

 an entirely different type, and is the same as that of the eggs 

 of the Bush Quails, while the English Partridge in this res- 

 pect more resembles those of the Francolins. The eggs are 

 white, more or less tinged with cafe an lait colour, this tinge 

 varying much in depth and intensity, probably (though I have 

 not accurately noted the fact) chiefly according to the stage 

 of incuba ion at which they are procured. The eggs are spot- 

 less, but are often, especially the paler-coloured ones, a good deal 

 soiled and stained. Not unfrequently they exhibit small raised 

 chalky patches, looking like drops of thick whitewash. 



In size the eggs vary from 1*2 to 1*42 in length, and in 

 breadth from 0*95 to ri2 ; but the average of fifty-four eggs 

 is 1 -3 by 1-03. 



The males average somewhat larger than the females, and 

 have, moreover, a very sharp spur (in one specimen before me 

 0'6y in length) on each leg ; indeed, specimens are occasionally 

 met with in captivity (I have never seen one such wild) with 

 tivo spurs on each leg. 



8 



