66 



THE YOUNG NATURALIST. 



[April 



siderably harder blow than our English Partridge does to bring it 

 down ; when brought to bag it is of little value for the table as its 

 flesh is dry and flavourless. It is found in pairs or in coveys. I never 

 saw more than seven or eight in a covey, but coveys of fourteen or 

 fifteen are said to be not uncommon. The cry of this Partridge is 

 loud and peculiar, and I have heard it compared to the words 1 leetle 

 jock, leetle jock, repeated quickly over and over again. I think these 

 words very fairly represent the call, but it should be mentioned that 

 the first syllable of all is repeated two or three times on various notes 

 as though the bird were trying to get hold of the key note of its call. 



The Grey Partridge is said to be easily tamed, and being very 

 pugnacious is frequeutly kept by Musselmans for fighting purposes. 

 I have heard that a tame bird is sometimes used by bird catchers as 

 a decoy for wild ones. The tame cock is taken out and put down 

 where wild ones are known to be, and made to call ; his call is soon 

 answered by a wild cock who presently appears on the scene, and a 

 pitched battle ensues. So fierce is the struggle, that the birdcatcher 

 stealthily approaching has usually little difficulty in capturing the wild 

 bird. The Grey Partridge is very seldom found north of the Ganges, 

 and in Bengal it is replaced by the Kya, O/bygov.iis gula/is, Tem- 

 minck, a somewhat larger but closely allied species. 



I came across two other species of Partridges during my stay in 

 Gujerat, but I have very little to say about either of them. The first 

 was the Painted Partridge, Francolinus pictus of Jardine and Selby. 

 Of this species I only saw two specimens which were shot at Solah 

 about five miles from Ahmedabad, on November 25th, 1888. These 

 were found in a small cotton field beside a stubble. They ran some 

 distance before they were flushed, but then flew strongly and very 

 like an English Partridge. The second was Perdicula cambayensis 

 of Latham, the Jungle Bush Quail of Indian sportsmen. This little 

 Partridge was very common in Gujerat, both amongst bushes and in 

 cultivated fields. I always saw it in coveys of six to ten, and I do 

 not know anything much more startling than a covey of these little 

 birds, getting up, for they rise right under one's feet with a loud whirr, 

 and shrill cries of alarm, dash away in all directions, and almost be- 

 fore one has seen what they are they drop down again into the cover. 

 I need not say that as they behave like this they are poor shooting, 

 and moreover they are but dry and tasteless eating, and are hardly 

 passable except in a pie. 



