158 



a grain or an insect, until they think they are being too closely 

 followed, when they quietly slip out of sight into the first bit 

 of cover they come to. 



"When retreating they keep uttering a very rapidly and 

 continually repeated note, in a very low tone, hardly to be 

 heard unless when one is quite close to them. 



"When flushed they do, as a rule, rise, as Jerdon says, all 

 together, usually scattering in different directions, but this is 

 by no means invariably the case, and sometimes, even before 

 a dog, they will rise singly, or in couples, several minutes often 

 intervening between the rise of the first and last birds. . . . 



" When a covey has been flushed and scattered, one bird 

 commences after a few minutes calling in a very low tone, 

 another immediately taking it up, then another, and so on. 

 They then begin cautiously to reunite, uttering all the time 

 their low note of alarm, moving very slowly, with continual 

 halts while in cover, but dashing rapidly across any open space 

 they may have to cross." 



Nest. — Like that of the Rock Bush-Quail. 



Eggs. — Ten or more ; rather long ovals. Uniform glossy 

 pale brownish-buff. Average measurements, 1*22 by 0*91 

 inch. 



II. elewitt's painted bush-quail, microperdix 



ELEWITTI. 



Microperdix blewitti, Hume, Str. F. ii. p. 512 (1874); id. and 

 Marshall, Game Birds of India, ii. p. 130, pi. (1879); 

 Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 204 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Closely resembles the male oi M. erythrorhyncha^ 

 but is smaller and distinguished by having the white band be- 

 tween the eyes much wider and the black forehead much 

 narrower, the chest greyer, and the rest of the under-parts 

 paler. Total length, 6-8 inches; wing, 3-1 ; tail, i-6; tarsus, 



o'95- 



