i6o Allen's naturalist's library. 



running. The specimens obtained by Mr. Hume (numbering 

 two coveys of six and five birds respectively, all of which were 

 shot) were first seen in an open glade in a patch of elephant- 

 grass about two miles square, and with the aid of about a 

 hundred beaters were eventually obtained after two days' 

 arduous work. After reading his account of how these speci- 

 mens were obtained (in the volume of " Stray Feathers " cited 

 above), some idea may be formed of the labour and expense 

 entailed in forming the magnificent " Hume collection " of 

 Indian birds which, thanks to the generosity of that great orni- 

 thologist, now forms part of the National Collection. 



THE TREE-PARTRIDGES. GENUS ARBORICOLA. 



Arboricola, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 85 (1844). 



Type, A. torqueola (Valenc). 



Tail less than half the length of the wing, composed of four- 

 teen short, somewhat rounded feathers, the middle pair being 

 rather the longest. 



First flight-feather intermediate in length between the eighth 

 and tenth ; fourth and fifth slightly the longest. 



Throat and fore-part of the neck often thinly covered with 

 feathers or nearly naked. 



Nails long and nearly straight. 



A supra-orbital chain of bones* (fig. i). 



Sexes similar in plumage or very nearly so, with the excep- 

 tion of A. torqueola. 



A concealed patch of downy feathers on the sides of the body 

 under the wings, grey. 



I. COMMON tree-partridge. ABORICOLA TORQUEOLA. 



Perdix torqueola,'V Zi\enc. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxviii. p. 435 (1825). 



* Mr. W. T. Blanford has called my attention to the fact that two speci- 

 mens of ^. chloropus'm the British Museum bear MS. notes by Mr. Wood- 

 Mason stating that the supra-orbital chain of bones peculiar to all the other 

 species of Arboricola is absetif. A. chloropis and A. charltqni belong to 



