156 THE BLACK-BREASTED OR RAIN QUAIL. 



" In every case where I had an opportunity of watching the 

 nests the eggs were laid daily. 



" The birds sit very close when hatching. I have watched 

 several, and on two occasions attempted to cover the sitting bird 

 with my hat. I have never seen a male bird on the nest or 

 near the hen, but from the persistent way in which the males 

 call and the females answer I concluded that the male never 

 went far away from the nest. I consider that the breeding-time 

 may be fixed as beginning on the 1st of August and ending on 

 the 15th of October. 



" Many of this year's birds were on the wing by the 20th of 

 September — at any rate that is the first day upon which I noticed 

 any. 



" I noticed many nests in which the eggs of Quail had been 

 destroyed by snakes, lizards, or field mice, most probably the 

 latter I think. 



" I never myself found a nest containing more than nine 

 eggs. 



" Four is the smallest number of incubated eggs observed." 



Mr. Davidson remarks : — " The Rain Quail breeds in great 

 numbers round Sholapur, and any number of eggs could be 

 easily obtained there. 



" I obtained various nests ; amongst others — ■ 



One brought to me on the 9th August, contained five eggs. 

 One brought to me on the 12th August, contained four. 

 One taken by myself on the 13th August, contained six. 

 One brought in to me on the 18th August, contained eight. 

 One taken by myself on the 18th August, contained eleven. 

 (All the eggs of all these nests were fresh?) 



" In the case of the last, I shot the cock bird within ten yards 

 of the nest, but he did not rise directly off the eggs, as I was 

 stooping to pick them up when he rose ; the hen did not rise, 

 though, on beating about with only two men, several birds of 

 the same species were flushed within two hundred yards. The 

 eggs in this last nest belong to such very different types that I 

 am almost sure they must have been laid by different hens. 

 And I can only account for it on the supposition that in a place 

 like this, where great numbers are breeding close together, two 

 hens may (as I have often known Partridges and Pheasants to 

 do) lay in the same nest. In this case there were nine of the 

 darker type and two of the lighter in the nest. 



" This is further rendered more likely by the fact that the 

 native fowlers I was employing informed me of a nest contain- 

 ing seventeen eggs. I rode out next morning, not being able 

 to get out so far (five miles) at once, and was much disgusted 

 to find all the eggs, eighteen in number, broken ; they belonged 

 in about equal proportions to the two darkest types of eggs. It 

 is possible that the fowlers, who are frightful liars, might have 

 put them there ; but I do not think so, as I promised them a rupee 



