Alfred Ezra—Partridge and Bulbul Fighting in India 155


unlike red, blue, or purple, a complete coat of which often

makes a very lovely bird. However, I know many people will

disagree


I hope to be able to send you a few breeding results as the

season advances. I forgot, I find in glancing hastily over my list

of birds, to mention Grenadier and Orange Bishops. In my

opinion, the “ best lives ” among all small foreigners (and how

lovely are the cocks), are Paradise and Pintail Whydahs, Com-

bassous, and Zebra Finches. The latter, I find, are stupid, restless,

and irritating little beasts. If only they would settle down to

breeding like Budgies, instead of playing at it, dying eggbound, etc.



PARTRIDGE AND BULBUL FIGHTING IN


INDIA


By Alfred Ezra, O.B.E.


In Calcutta the Indians are very keen on Fighting Partridges,

This bird,which is the Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus ),

is very often hand reared and kept with great care. The birds are

naturally very tame, and follow their owners about when let out

for exercise in the fields, and never fly away, and will also call at

the owner’s orders. They are kept in double cages, the cock bird

in one compartment and the hen in the other. The hen bird is

kept to encourage the cock bird to fight, by calling all the time the

fight is going on. A good deal of betting takes place, and the arena

is surrounded by hundreds of Indians, squatting on their haunches,

with their birds close to them. After a lot of haggling, terms are

arranged, and the two birds matched to fight are let out into the

arena by their owners, and they start fighting at once. The owners

keep encouraging the birds to fight by talking to them incessantly,

and the hens keep calling all the time. A good fight lasts about ten

minutes, and the beaten bird runs away to its owner, or flies away

from the arena. They generally fight viciously to a finish, but very

little damage is done. Only a few feathers flying from the neck,

and, perhaps, from the top of the head, is all the damage done. The



