THREE-TOED OR BUSTARD-QUAILS. ?7l 



species by havinjj; the shoulder-feathers margined with white or 

 whitish grey ; sides of the breast /^z/d buff^ contrasting strongly 

 with the uniform rust-red centre, each feather with a heart- 

 shaped black spot near the extremity; general colour above dull 

 light red. Size larger. 



In the female the nape is generally nearly unifoini dull light 

 red, while in the male tiie scale-like margins to the feathers 

 extend to the back of the head. 



Male: Total length, 6 inches ; wing, 3-1; tail, 1-5; tarsus 

 0-85. 



Female: Total length, 7 inches; wing, 37; ta'l, I'S; tarsus 

 0-9. 



Eange. — Southern Europe and North Africa. 



Habits. — In the vicinity of Tangier the Andalusian Bustard- 

 Quail appears to be both resident and migratory, those which 

 migrate passing northwards during May and June, and return- 

 ing in September and October. 



Colonel Irby writes : — " Near Gibraltar this species is very 

 local and nowhere plentiful, apparently less so than is really the 

 case, for they are difficult birds to flushj and if put up once will 

 rarely rise a second time. Scattered here and there, they chiefly 

 frequent palmetto (Cha/iia^rops hiimilis) scrub, and appear to 

 be most common near the coast, being more abundant to the 

 east of Queen of Spain's Chair, especially about the Lomo del 

 Rey and a place called Las Agusaderas. In their flight and 

 habits, from what I could observe of them, they resemble the 

 Indian Button-Quail (Z! dussiunieri). 



" I have often seen them among the rough grass and bents 

 close to the seashore, but always near palmetto, and one bird 

 in particular for a long time frequented a patch of thick her- 

 bage near the mouth of the ' First River.' . . . 



*' The males of this species, and, I believe, of ull the genus, 

 are very much smaller than the females. This difference is so 

 striking that the cazadores always declare that there are two 



