THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. lOr, 



greener gloss and visible shafts dark. Quills dark brown glossed 

 on the visible portions with green. 



The feathers of the breast are all brown at the base, and shew up 

 in varying degrees, so that in some birds the breasts appear almost 

 piire white, whilst in others they appear almost more brown than 

 white. 



Colours of soft imrts. — 



"' Legs and feet pale drab ; bill pale horny green, cere dusky; 

 '• bare face space crimson, irides deep brown." (Davison). 



" The irides are orange brown; the bare eye patch bright 

 '• scarlet to deep crimson, dotted over with numerous tiny tufts 

 '• of abortive black feathers; the bill greenish white, dusky at 

 " tip ; the legs and feet livid white, with a purplish or brownish 

 " tinge, varying to pale brown, often with an olive tinge." 

 ( Hume) . 

 I have also had the legs described to me as being of a rather pale 

 slaty or plumbeous colour. 



Measurements. — Length about 27" (685*8 mm.) ; wang from 8'5" 

 to 9-8" (215-9 to 248-9 mm.); average of forty birds 9-05" (229-8 

 mm.); tail from 9-0" to 12-5" (228 to 327 mm.); tarsus about 

 3-1" (78-7 mm.) ; bill at front about 1" (25-4 mm.), and from gape 

 1-4" (35'5 mm.). The crest runs up to 44", and is generally about 

 3" to 31" (76-2 to 88-9 mm.) 



"Length, 24-0 to 29-0; expanse, 28-75 to 32-0; wdng, 8-7 

 '^to 10-0; tail from vent, 10-2 to 13-0 ; tarsus, 2-9 to 3-1 ; bill 

 "from gape, 1-3 to 1-55; weight, 2-lbs. to 2-lbs. 6 ozs." 

 (Hume). 

 Adult Female. — Feathers of the head, including crest, reddish 

 hair brown, the shafts but little paler than the w^ebs. Wing-coverts 

 and the whole of the neck and back the same brown, but with each 

 feather broadly edged with very pale brown and with the shaft pale 

 enough to contrast strongly with the webs. Wing quills browaa 

 with the shafts the same colour except on the innermost, which 

 have them a little paler than the webs ; the whole of the back and 

 wings finely vermiculated with black, the vermiculations being 

 somewhat stronger towards the tip than at the base of each feather. 

 Central tail feathers reddish brown, more broadly vermiculated with 

 black and with a few buff or whitish vermiculations on the outer 

 edges of each w-eb ; sometimes extending over the whole of the outer 

 webs. Remaining tail feathers dark brown, glossed with green, and 

 generally with paler tips, whilst one or two pairs next the central 

 ones often have edges similar to these. Lower plumage similar to 

 the upper, but paler and with broader pale edges to the feathers ; 

 chin and throat palest and dullest, and centre of breast darkest and 

 richest in colouration; centre of abdomen and vent dull grey-brown, 

 pale and feebly marked. 



