THE FRANCOLINS. I07 



Nest and Eggs. — Very similar to those of F. fra?icolin7is, but 

 larger and generally less like a peg-top in shape. Average 

 measurements, 1*4 by I'lS inch. 



III. THE CHINESE FRANCOLIN. FRANCOLINUS CHINENSIS. 



Tttrao chinensis^ Osbeck, Voy. en Chine, ii. p. 326 (1771). 

 Tetrao madagascarieitsis and T. piiitadeamis, Scop. Del. Flor. 



et Faun. Insubr. pt. ii. p. 93 (1786). 

 Tetrao per latus, Gmel. S. N. i. pt. ii. pp. 756, 758 (1788). 

 Perdix {Francolinus) maculatus, Gray, Fasc. B. China, pi 7 



(1871). 



Francoluius phayrei^ Blyth, J. As. Soc. Beng. xii. p. 10 u 



(1843). 



Francolimis cJiinensis^ Hume and Marshall, Game Birds of 

 India, ii. p. 27, pi. (1879); Gates, ed. Hume's Nests and 

 Eggs Ind. B. iii. p. 431 (1890); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. 

 Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 137 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Like F. pictus^ this species has no chestnut 

 collar^ but differs in having the scapulars chestnut, or chest- 

 nut and black, with rounded spots of white or buff. A black 

 band crosses the forehead and is continued behind the eye, 

 and a second, starting from the angle of the gape, crosses the 

 cheek ; rest of the sides of the head and iZiroat white. Feet 

 armed with a pair of sharp spurs. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the sides of 

 the head washed with rufous, the scapulars black, margined 

 with broivnish, and spotted and barred with buff, and the 

 under-parts buff, barred with black. 



Total length, 12 '6 inches; wing, 5*5; tail, 3; tarsus, i-6. 



Range. — Indo-Chinese countries, Burma, Siam, Cochin China, 

 Hainan, and Southern China. It is not found in Tenasserim. 

 It was introduced more than a century ago into Reunion and 

 Mauritius. ? Madajascar. 



Habits. — Very similar to those of F. pictus, but it scld'jm 



