CEYLON PIGEONS AND GAME BIRDS. 371 
GALLOPERDIX BICALCARATA (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 109 ; 
Legge, p. 742). 
The Ceylon Spur Fowl. 
Description.—Male : the top of the head, the back and the 
sides of the neck, the upper back, the sides of the breast, and 
the flanks are black with white shaft-stripes, which are 
narrowest on the head and broadest on the flanks. The 
inter-scapulars, scapulars, and wing coverts have conspicuous 
white wedge-shaped shaft-stripes surrounded by a_ broad 
black border, the rest of the feather being chestnut vermi- 
ewated with black. The lower back, rump, and tail coverts 
are rufous chestnut finely mottled with black. The primary 
quills are dark brown ; the secondaries mottled with chestnut ; 
the tail black, with minute indistinct chestnut mottlings. 
The feathers of the face and throat are white edged with black, 
the chin white ; the centre of the breast and the upper abdomen 
are white with black borders, giving a scaly effect ; the lower 
abdomen is dirty brown mixed with whitish-gray ; the under 
tail coverts brownish-black with paler tips. 
Female : head and hind-neck blackish-brown ; the chin is 
whitish ; most of the remainder of the plumage dull chestnut 
finely mottled with black, except on the breast ; wing quills 
and tail as in the male. 
Bill, legs, and feet red ; naked skin round the eye red ; iris 
yellowish-brown. In males the tarsus is armed with spurs, 
generally two on each leg ; sometimes the number is uneven. 
Females are generally without spurs; if they are present, 
they are small and often uneven in number. 
Length 13:5 ; wing 6:5; tail 4; tarsus 2; bill from gape | ; 
females are smaller, length 11-75 ; wing 6. 
Distribution.—Peculiar to Ceylon. It is found up to about 
4,500 feet in the central hill zone and in the forests of the 
damp zone. In the north it does not extend much beyond 
the foothills of the main ranges ; in the south-east it spreads 
further into the dry flat country between the hills and the sea. 
Habits—The ‘‘ Haban-kukula ” is a very shy bird. Like 
the English Corn-crake, it is constantly heard but seldom 
seen, and possesses undoubted powers of ventriloquism. In 
