We must now consider the partridges that patronise the hills. The species most commonly met with in the Himalayas is the chakor (_Caccabis chucar_). In appearance this is very like the French or red-legged partridge, to which it is related. Its prevailing hue is pale reddish brown, the particular shade varying greatly with the individual. The most striking features of this partridge are a black band that runs across the forehead to the eyes and then down the sides of the head round the throat, forming a gorget, and a number of black bars on each flank. The favourite haunts of the chakor are bare grassy hillsides on which a few terraced fields exist. Chakor are noisy birds. The note most commonly heard is the double call from which their name is taken. The black partridge or common francolin (_Francolinus vulgaris_) is abundant on the lower ranges of the Himalayas. At Mussoorie its curious call is often heard. This is so high-pitched as to be inaudible to some people. To those who can hear it, the call sounds like _juk-juk-tee-tee-tur_. This species has the habit of feigning a broken wing when an enemy approaches its young ones. The cock is a very handsome bird. The prevailing hue of his plumage is black with white spots on the flanks and narrow white bars on the back. The feathers of the crown and wings are buff and dark brown. A chestnut collar runs round the neck, while each side of the head is adorned by a white patch. The whole plumage of the hen is coloured like the wings of the cock. The common hill-partridge (_Arboricola torqueola_) is a great skulker. He haunts dark densely jungled water-courses and ravines, and so is not likely to be seen about a hill-station; we will therefore pass him over without description. THE CHARADRIIDAE OR PLOVER FAMILY In conclusion mention must be made of the woodcock (_Scolopax rusticola_). This species, although it breeds throughout the Himalayas, usually remains during the summer at altitudes above those at which hill-stations are situate. The lowest height at which its nest has been found is, I believe, 9500 feet. _THE COMMON BIRDS OF THE EASTERN HIMALAYAS_ The majority of the birds which are common in the Eastern Himalayas are also abundant in the western part of the range, and have in consequence been described already. In order to avoid repetition this chapter has been put into the form of a list. The list that follows includes all the birds likely to be seen daily by those who in summer visit Darjeeling and other hill-stations east of Nepal. Of the birds which find place in the list only those are described which have not been mentioned in the essay on the common birds of the Western Himalayas. Short accounts of all the birds that follow which are not described in this chapter are to be found in the previous one. THE CORVIDAE OR CROW FAMILY 1. _Corvus macrorhynchus_. The jungle-crow or Indian corby. 2. _Dendrocitta himalayensis_. The Himalayan tree-pie. Abundant.