378 SPOLIA ZEYLANICA. 
Order HEMIPODII. 
Family TurNicip a 
Genus Turnix. 
The Three-toed Quails. 
The Three-toed Quails are a group of quail-like birds, which 
have been placed in an order apart from the game birds, 
owing to several important distinctions in their anatomical 
structure. As regards the Indian forms, the chief external 
difference is the lack of a hind toe, though in an Australian 
genus the hind toe is present. Only one genus occurs within 
Indian limits, and but a single species in Ceylon. In this 
genus the females are larger and generally more brightly 
coloured than the males. They take advantage of their 
superior position, leaving the cocks to incubate the eggs and 
look after the chicks. 
TuRNIX PUGNAX (Blanford, Vol. IV., p. 151). 
TURNIX TAIGOOR (Legge, p. 761). 
The Bustard Quail. 
Description.—Male : head and upper parts rufous-brown ; 
eyebrows, lores, and sides of head speckled black and whitish ; 
the crown is black, with rufous edges to the feathers and often 
with a paler stripe down the middle. The plumage of the 
back is very variably marked, the rufous ground being 
irregularly banded with black, and many of the feathers 
edged with white ; wing coverts buff with broad black bars ; 
wing quills dark brown, the outer webs of the primaries 
edged with buff; the outer webs of the secondaries with buff 
indentations ; the throat, fore-neck, and chest whitish-buff ; 
the breast buff with black bars ; the rest of the lower parts 
tawny rufous. 
Female: the chin, throat, and a patch of variable size on 
the middle of the breast are black ; the stripe down the centre 
of the crown is speckled black and white ; the lower parts are 
deeper rufous. 
Bill slate-colour, dusky brown on the ridge ; iris white or 
pale yellow ; legs and feet leaden. 
