THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 163 



Key to Sprcie:s : Females. 



-I. Lower plumage more or less mottled or 

 squamated and with pale shafts but 

 not with white or bufi" streaks, 



(' . Rather paler below alhocrisia ttis. 



h. Rather darker belo^-. 



a'. Central tail feathers well 



mottled and distinctlj^ leucomelanius. 



grey about neck melanonotus. 



//. Centi'al tail feathers not 



much mottled and no 



grey on neck. 



a". Central tail feathers 



dark chestnut, 



contrasting greatly 



with lateral ones., horsfieldi horsjieldi. 

 h". Central tail feathers 

 pale chestnut, con- 

 trasting greatly 



with lateral ones, horsjieldi ivilliamsi. 

 ]J. Lower plumage with white or buff and 

 not squamated 



c'. Central streaks buff and 

 confined principally to 



breast aud flanks lineatus oatesi. 



d'. Central streaks white, 

 numerous everjnvhere, 

 but narrow ; under 

 plumage bright rufous, lineaius lineatus. 

 e . Central streaks white and 

 broad, lower plumage 

 much darker and not 

 so rufous lineatus sharpei. 



< '. Lower plumage white, buffy white, or buff 

 with bold bars, or edges of dark brown. 



f. Lower plumage white ... nydhemerus nycthe- 



merus. 

 <f. Lower iplnmage huf^ or ( nydhemenis rijjponi^ 

 buffy white \ nycthemerus rufifes. 



The above ke}' is one which can only be accepted as a general 

 guide, for in each of the three groups the females resemble one 

 another so closely that it is often difficult and sometimes impossible 

 to distinguish one from the other. The three groups are themselves 

 well separated by the markings of the lower plumage in quite 

 adult birds, but the j'oung females of B and C are sometimes very 



