sSo alt.en's naturalists library. 



it is almost useless trying to put up one of these Button Quails 

 a second time. 



" Like all the Quails, they may be occasionally seen at early 

 morn and eve feeding along the paths running through, or in 

 tiny open spaces in the midst of, the grass they li^'c in. I have 

 never seen them in field or stubbles, nor had any of the few I 

 have examined eaten any grain, only grass seeds ai^id small 

 black fragments, which might have bsen portions of sm.ill hard 

 seeds or of tiny Coleoptera." 



Nest. — Composed of soft blades of dry grass, placed at the 

 foot of a tussock of coarse grass, the entrance-hole being on 

 one side, and extending nearly to the top of the nest. 

 {E. A. Butler) 



E^g3. — Smaller than those of T. faigoor, of a dirty yellowish 

 white colour, thickly speckled, spotted and blotched all over 

 with brownish-black. Shell highly glossed. Measurements, 

 0*84 by 063 inch. {E. A. Butler.) 



XII. THE NICOBAR BUSTARD-QUAIL. TURNIX ALBIVENTER. 



Turnix albiventris, Hume, Str. F. i. p. 310 (1873) ; Hume & 

 Marshall, Game Birds Ind. ii. p. 199, pi. (1879) ; Ogilvie- 

 Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 545 (1893). 



Adult Male. — Like the male of T. hlanfordi^ but the back is 

 darker brownish-grey, irregularly blotched and mottled with 

 black and rufous. No rufous nuchal collar. Total length, 

 5-3 inches ; wing 3 \ tail, I'l ; tarsus, 0-85. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the female of 7! hlanfordi in 

 having the back darker brownish-grey, irregularly blotched and 

 mottled with black and rufous ; the nuchal collar deeper rufous 

 and wider. Total length, 5-5 inches; wing, -^-i; tail, 1-2; 

 tarsus, o'9. 



Younger examples resemble the immature of T. buvijordi. 



