Feb. 1, 1902.1 
THE TROPICAL AGPJCVLTURIST. 
549 
out interesting tests were made with plankton, 
this being the scientific name for the myriads of 
microscopic floating life on the sea. This word is 
one which we owe to German analysis. By 
means of exceedingly fine silk nebs— nets finer 
than those used by millers for precipitating the 
finest flour— the samples of sea water drawn each 
morning were made to give up their st.)ck of 
floating life, and this was submitted to tke closest 
scrutiny under the microscope. The I'rofessor said 
that to the scientific mind the changes in the 
in>ect life as different seas were passed was re- 
markable, and from the scientific point of view 
the results of t^e experiments in the Ked Sea 
eclipsed in interest the plankton elsewhere, accord- 
ing to our contemporary. 
Dr Lyster Jamieson, M D, B Sc, London, whom 
Professor Herdman first expected to bring out as 
his assistant, was in Ceylon before and wrote a 
paper on Pearl Oysters. 
TEA IN PERSIA. 
In Commenting on Mr. Foley's report on the 
prospects of Indo-Persian trade via Nushki and 
Seistan, the Pioneer said a short time ago that 
the only question seemed to be as to whether the 
opportunity for exploiting a new market was 
likely to be seized. A coi respondent now writes 
to that paper and says tiiat the actual state of 
the tea demand in Eastern Persia was over- 
estimated by Mr. Foley in his earlier letters 
that this has now been proved beyond a doubt, 
and that those who followed the ad nee of the 
advocates of sending caravans of tea to the Per- 
sians in preference to inducing the Persians to 
come to Quetta are likely to pay dearly for their 
venture. The writer then explains that the first 
• large caravan sent from India was one consisting 
of 60,000 lb of Dehra Dun tea in charge of Mr. 
Ouseley, who reached Meshed some time ago. 
Messrs. Clementton and Marsh took charge of the 
next caravan, said to contain 40,0( 0 lb of tea 
mostly from Southern India. This was followed 
by one from the Kangra Valley planters consist- 
ing of 30,000 lb under Mr. Greensill ; and lastly 
another from Dehra Dun left Quetta in charge of 
Mr. Palmer at the beginning of November. It is 
probable that by means of camel caravans 200.000 
lb of tea have recently been sent to Persia oy 
the new route on the strength of Mr. Foley's 
early reports. The writer of the above letter 
continues that on his return from Persia, Mr. 
Foley, in an interview with an agent in charge 
of one of the above caravans, said he held out no 
hope of sellin? any tea at all between Quetta and 
Meshed, thai! probably at the latter plate the 
market would be found to be overstocked, and 
that it was unlikely that lemunerative prices 
wentd be obtainable there. He went so far as to 
recommend the agent to send bis caravan on to 
Moscow. This certainly shows things in a different 
light, and nullifies the comment of our eon- 
temporary, that owing to lack of energy on the 
part of the Indian Tea Association it was only 
too probable that the existing trade in a favourite 
tea from Java, which finds its way to Meshed 
by caravan from Bundar Abbas will continue to 
expand.— M. Mail. 
COLOMBO AND TEA. 
In his speech to the Central Travaneore Plant- 
ers' Association, the Hon'blel Mr. G L Acworth 
lays great stress on the Calcutta marke* 
as a source of relief in these congested 
times. He sincerely trusts that Calcutta will 
not starve their local market, and is con- 
fident that a good deal may be done in openin? 
foreign markets by iudiciously feeding that of 
Calcutta, and he «onsidered that even more pro- 
gress abroad might have been made had agents in 
the North fed their market more liberally. Tlie 
Colombo market he regretted was still practically 
closed to Indian Planters, and he hoped that the 
time was not far distant, when " we and Ceylon 
shall interchange our pioducts freely." — M. Mail. 
THE GREY PARTRIDGE OF CEYLON 
AND INDIA FOR NEW ZEALAND. 
We had a visitor ia Ceylon from New 
Zealand last month— Mr. Maddox of Welling- 
ton — who is interested in Acclimatisatioa 
and is anxious to see the grey partridge 
of Ceylon and India tried in his adopted 
land. The chief reason is that the English 
partridge, which has been introduced, gets 
killed out by hawks and that it is thought 
the grey partridges like the Francolins, 
would be better able to protect themselves. 
Prom the " Manual of the Game Birds of 
India " we quote as follows : — 
THE GREY PaRTRIDGE-S. 
The Grey Partridges are probably very closely 
allied to theFrancolins, and as previously remarked 
Mr. Ogilvie Grant places them all in one genus. 
It seems to me, however, that the Indian Grey 
Partridges possess certain characteristics of colora- 
tion which render it desirable that they should be 
kept separate from theFrancolins. 
Ill the Grey Partridges the sexes are alike in 
coloration, but the males are much larger than the 
females. The tail is short and rounded and com- 
posed of fourteen feathers. The male has one or 
sometimes two spurs on each leg ; the female 
rarely one, 
Tliese ePartridges may be recognised by the first 
ten quills of the wing being plain or unmarked, 
except that in one species the outer web of some of 
the inner quills, say the seventh to the tenth, has 
some small and insignificant mottlings at the base; 
by the tail being more or less rufous or chestnut ; 
and by the upper plumage being cross- barred. 
THE GREY PARTRIDGE. 
Ortygornis pondicerianus, (Gmelin). 
Lovver plumage cross-barred. 
Sexes alike. 
Vernacular Names -.— Titur, Eamtitiir, Gora- 
titur, Safed titur, Hind., general ; Khyr, 
Bengali ; Gowjul-kuki, Canarese ; Kondari, 
Tamil ; Kuwunzu, Telugu. 
The range of the Grey Partridge extends over 
the whole of India as far east as the longitude of 
Calcutta ; and it is also found in Ceylon. It does 
not, however, appear to be common north of the 
Ganges and Gogia rivers. This Partridge does not 
ascend the Himalayas to above a level of 1,500 feet, 
but occurs sparingly in the Nilgiris up to an 
altitude of 5,()00 feet. 
According to Messrs. Hume and Marshall, the 
Grey Partridge does not occur in the South Konkan 
nor on the Malabar Coast, and it is absent from 
the forest regions of the Central Provinces and 
their Feudatory States, and of the Tributary 
Mahals . : ' 
