496 JOURNAL, BOMB A Y NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVIII. 



No. XII.— NOTES ON THE MANIPUR BUSH-QUAIL 

 (3IICR0PERDIX MANIPURENSIS) IN CAPTIVITY. 



The Manipur Bush-Quail (Microperdix manipur ensia, Hume) is a rare bird 

 found in the Manipur State, in the Duars, and probably in other places 

 towards the Eastern Frontier of India. The fact that it lives usually in long 

 elephant-grass accounts for the difficulty experienced in obtaining specimens. 

 Even the natives do not appear to recognize the bird. It was originally 

 discovered by Hume in Manipur, though it is said that a single specimen 

 existed in the British Museum before this, and was supposed to have been 

 obtained in Bhutan. An interesting description of the shoot in which Hume 

 obtained several specimens is to be found in " The Game Birds of India " 

 (Oates), Part I., page 107. " Once, and once only, " writes Hume, "did I meet 

 with this species, and that was at the base of the hills in the South-Eastern 

 portion of the Manipur plain." A good description of the bird can be found 

 in the same book, the most obvious characteristics being the olive-grey upper 

 plumage, each feather being fringed and barred with black in both male 

 and female. The lower plumage is buff, each feather having a black cross, 

 made up by a black shaft and a transverse band. The irides are brown, the 

 legs orange, and the bill horn-coloured. In this Journal Vol. XV., page 527, 

 there is a note by Lieut.-Col. H. B. Thornhill of a female specimen obtained 

 by him at Alipur, Duar, in 1885-86. It was by the kindness of Mr. Comber 

 that my attention was drawn to this. I know of no more recent reference to 

 this quail.* 



While stationed in Manipur in 1905-06, I was naturally keen on obtaining 

 a specimen ; and though on several occasions I put up a quail in long grass, 

 which I thought to be of this variety, it was not till March 4, 1906, that I was 

 lucky enough to catch a female bird. Some of the other birds I saw appeared 

 a good deal darker than the Manipur quail, and were smaller. They probably 

 belonged to some other unknown species of bush-quail, but I never succeeded 

 in getting a specimen. 



It was a few hundred yards off the Pukhao Road, thirteen miles N.-W. of 

 Imphal (the capital), that I obtained my specimen. Four of us were after 

 deer and small game, burning long grass and beating. During our last burn 

 a quail flew out of the long grass, and settled a short way off in the open. 

 I sent a beater after it, and after another short flight he succeeded in catching 

 it. I at once saw it was a species new to me, and guessed it was a female 

 Manipur quail, and this turned out to be the case. Probably the bird was, to 

 some extent, overcome by the smoke. I took the bird home wrapped in 

 a handkerchief, and then put it into a small cage. Next morning I was glad to 



* In June 1907 Mr. C. M. Inglis sent our Society an interesting note on this quail 

 which has unfortunately had to be kept back, because it is desired to have a coloured 

 illustration of this bird to appear with it in the Journal. This necessitated writing out 

 to India and obtaining more specimens of the quail before it could be figured. It is hoped 

 that the illustration will be ready shortly. — Eds. 



