Mr. Oatcs now writes :—
" In British territory, this Francolin occurs only in the valley
of the Irrawaddy, from the frontier down to Prome. Below
this town it is rare or altogether absent. Laterally its range
extends from the foot of the Pegu Yoma range to the foot of
the Aracan range, but it is less abundant on the western side
of the river. From Thayctmyo to Shway-pandan, a distance of
25 miles, it occurs in extraordinary numbers, the country
consisting chiefly of gravel hills with bamboo jungle, intermingled
with abandoned clearings, in the dense vegetation of
which it loves to conceal itself.
" The cry of the Francolin is heard everywhere and at all
seasons, in the early morning and also late in the afternoon.
In the middle of the day, like most other birds, it is generally
silent. When about to call, it mounts a stump or a small ant
hill, or also, not unfrcqucntly, a branch of a tree, in some cases
as much as fifteen feet above the ground.
" This Francolin is rarely to be found in stubble, and I do not remember
finding more than two birds in such ground in the course
of three or four years' experience. On the other hand, almost
every bamboo-clad hill-side, if well beaten, will yield five or six
birds. The bird is very loth to fly, and runs before the beaters
till want of cover compels it to take to the air; and even when
thus flushed, it will descend to the ground as soon as possible.
The flight is very strong, and a bird on the wing affords a
very pretty shot.
" The Thayctmyo district, where the bird is chiefly found, is
very dry, and there are very few streams or pools of water. The
Francolin must, therefore, I think, be able to go without drinking
for a long time. Its food appears, in addition to ants,
beetles, and so forth, to consist in great measure of buds and
shoots, and these probably afford the necessary moisture."
Mr. Swinhoe has some interesting notes on this species.
He says :—
" This bird is numerous in Hongkong, inhabiting the patches
of bushes and fern that so frequently occur in nooks and
depressions on the hill-sides, whence it is very difficult to flush
it, even with a good dog. If you mark a bird down, you are by
no means sure of putting it up again. It is a solitary bird and
does not associate in coveys. In the early mornings of April,
and during the greater part of the day, if cloudy, you may hear
them crying to each other on the hills around, that enclose
the happy valley. One male starts the song ' kc-kai, kc-kai,
he-karr; ' another, on an adjoining hill, defiantly repeats ; a
third, still further, is heard ; and even a fourth, until the notes
are lost, as it were, in a distant echo. The first bird then commences
again, adding greater emphasis to the last notes, and
the other birds take up the song in succession as before. When
heard near, these notes sound harsh to the ear, but at a distance
they have a pleasant, wild effect, as they sweep over the sides
of the towering hills. The flesh of this Francolin is white and
insipid.
" The South China Francolin was common everywhere _ in
Hainan, and we repeatedly heard its loud note. At Lingshing
(S. E. Hainan) I bought three males from a Chinese birdcatcher.
He had caught them by a slip noose, with the help
of a decoy bird. On our return to the capital (2nd April)
we found them extremely common about the grave-covered
plains, and often saw, as we passed along the road from the seaport
to the city, a cock Francolin perched on the top of a
grave-mound, shrieking out its loud call. The Hainan skins
arc similar to those from South China.
"The Chinese 'Gazetteer' says of this bird : — ' T h e " C h a y -
koo" [Francolin], when flying, is obliged to turn towards the
south. Its cry sounds, " kozv, cliou; kih tih." It also says, " Hiug
pu/i tihyáy, kó-kó" [It is indeed of no use, my brother ! ]"
Sir R. H. Schomburgk also furnishes a note on this species :—
"This beautiful bird," he says, " is sometimes brought alive
in cages to Bangkok, where they fetch handsome prices. Their
general resorts are the rice-fields and pasture-grounds, which
they frequent in flocks. I have been told that at night they
retire to trees, and there they make their nests. I cannot vouch
for this assertion : but since our own Partridge selects sometimes
a tree for nidification, such may be the case with the ' nock
kahtah.' When surprised while on the ground, they rise with a
whirring noise, similar to our Partridge. They are caught by a
decoy bird ; however, they are not frequently found in cages at
Bangkok ; and I believe that those which are brought here
soon perish. Such has been the case with those which I have
had in my possession. I found them plentiful at Aughin, on
the eastern coast of the Gulf of Siam, and my huntsman
brought them frequently as an addition to my breakfast or
dinner. They are as delicious as our home species. I have
been told they are likewise to be found in the environs of
Bangkok."
T H E CHINESE FRANCOLÍN breeds within our limits only, so
far as I yet know, in the comparatively dry portions of Upper
Pegu. It does not, I believe, occur in the valley of the Irrawaddy
much, if at all, lower down than Prome.
Mr. Theobald records having found a nest of this species
at Meadcy, a little north-east of Thayctmyo, on the 4th
June. It was placed upon the ground, and contained four
uniform greenish cream-coloured eggs, measuring l'4 by i ' i5.
From Thayctmyo, Mr. Oatcs writes that this species "is
particularly vociferous in June and July. I have never myself
actually taken the eggs, but the Burmans say that the nest
is situated at the foot of a bamboo clump on a hill-side, and