THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 3 



conspicuous on the lower breast and fianks ; the feathers of the 

 breast also have faint brown shaft stripes ; centre of abdomen 

 blackish, more or less mottled with rufous buff; vent and under 

 tail-coverts rufous ; thigh-coverts dirty rufous buff. 



Colours of Soft Parts. — Orbital skin crimson-scarlet or crimson, 

 sometimes dotted with little pink, or pinkish-white pimples ; iris 

 golden hazel or reddish hazel, sometimes, according to Hume, an 

 orange-brown ; bill pale yellowish horny, more rarely pale brownish 

 or bliiish horny ; legs plumbeous or greyish brown, occasionally 

 with a fleshy ti]5t, especially on the hinder parts ; toes paler and 

 more fleshy and soles paler still. 



Measurements. — The series of males of which J have been able to 

 take measurements, some 40 in number do not show a very great 

 range of variation. Including the 22 specimens in the British 

 Museum, they measure : — 



Wing from 9-3" (235 mm.) to 10-6" (269-2 mm.), and averag- 

 ing 9-9" (250-5 mm.); tail 15-3" (388-6 mm.) to 23-0" (584-2 

 mm.), with an average of 19-0" (481-8 mm.) ; tarsus about 3" (76-2 

 mm.); spur generally about -5" (12-5 mm.), rarely as such as 

 75" (19-0 mm.); bill at front about 1-1" (27-9 mm.), and from 

 gape about 1-3" (36 mm.) 



" Weight, 2 lbs. 10 ozs. to 3 lbs. 7 ozs." (Hume.) 



In a letter to me, Col. R, H. Rattray recorded the weight of one 

 shot at Mussoorie as jnst on 4-lbs. 



Wilson (Mountaineer) mentions having obtained birds with tails 

 of 28" (716 mm.), and this observer is invariably so correct that 

 we must accept his statement, but such birds are no duubt quite 

 exceptional. The crest runs up to 3-6" (91-4 mm.), and is 

 usually about 3" (76-2 mm.) 



Adult Female. — Head similar to that of the male, but with buff or 

 ochre-buff instead of grey edging and tips to the feathers ; hind 

 neck and nape greyish- white with bold black centres ; mantle pale 

 chestnut — varying a good deal in depth in different individuals — 

 each feather with cream shaft streaks, greyish edges and bold black 

 bars; lower back and rump ashy-brown, mottled with black and, to 

 a much less extent with buff; tail and upper tail-coverts with 

 alternate bands of mottled rufous and black and bolder black and 

 buff; the longer tail-coverts with more black and less buff. 



Primaries brown, regularly barred with buff on the outer webs 

 and with chestnut on the inner ; secondaries mottled blackish- 

 brown, and chestnut-buff with four broad bars of creamy-buff' edged 

 above and below with black ; greater and median coverts mottled 

 black and chestnut-buff with broad tips of creamy-bufi. 



Below chin, throat and fore neck creamy-white ; breast black, the 

 feath-rs with broad white edges and white central streaks ; re- 

 mainder of lower surface pale chestnut each feather edged with 



