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they are terrestrial in their liabits, and 

 usually found with the Quails, they are 

 here included in the same group. 



The most marked characteristic is 

 the entire absence of the hind toe, 

 except in one Australian Species, the 

 true Quails always having four. 



About 50 species are known, only 

 one of which occurs in China, the 

 remainder belonging to southern Asia, 

 Africa and Australia. 



BLANFOKD'S BUTTON QUAIL. 



TURNIX BLANFOED^C BLYTH. 

 (Turnix maculatus) 



Description. — Length 7 inches. 

 " Upper mandible and tip of the 

 lower brown, remainder of bill, feet, 

 and clawlif^ris white or yellowish 

 white." 



It looks like a small quail, but has 

 only three toes by which it may be 

 readily identified. 



Crown dark brown. Cheeks pale 

 yellow bordered with brown. There 

 is sometimes a large rusty red nuchal 

 spot. Back, black, red and ashy 

 intricately mixed. Wing coverts light 

 yellow with black spots. Breast bright 

 rufous with many round black spots on 

 the sides. Abdomen white. 



Distribution. — All over China. A 

 summer visitant in the Yangtse Valley. 



Nest and Eggs. — The nests are very 

 simple aifairs, usually mere grass-lined 

 depressions in the ground. The eggs 

 of this bird have been described as 

 having a 'very smooth and glossy 

 texture; a greyish- white ground color, 

 thickly speckled with reddish brown 

 and purple of various shades over paler 

 purple underlying spots ; a pyriform- 



