v PHASIANIDAE 2 
i) 
4 
velocity. The trisyllabic note of the male is rendered “ wet-my- 
lips” by country-folk ; the food consists of seeds, slugs, and insects, 
sought among the grassy flats in general frequented. From seven 
to fifteen yellowish or white eggs, with dark brown blotches or 
marblings, are deposited in a hollow lined with bits of herbage, in 
standing corn or grass, the hen sitting very closely and feigning 
lameness to draw attention from the young. The male appears 
to be usually monogamous, while the broods or “ bevies” do not 
form coveys. Two of these broods are said to be occasionally reared 
in a season, but how far such statements are due to the destruc- 
tion of the first complement of eges must remain doubtful, as 
in the case of so many other birds that breed on the ground! 
Melanoperdiz nigra, of the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, and 
Sumatra, is glossy black with browner primaries, the female 
being chestnut, with black markings and a whitish chin. It 
inhabits the lowlands and lays five eggs. Rollulus roulroul is a 
most remarkable form with a frontal tuft of long black bristles. 
In the male the fore-part of the head is black, separated by a 
white band from the full hairy crest of maroon, which covers the 
occiput ; the upper parts are dark green glossed with blue, the 
wing-coverts being maroon, and the quills brown and buff. The 
tail and under parts are black, a blue tint shewing on the 
breast ; the base of the black bill, the feet, and the naked orbits 
are scarlet. The female has a blackish head with moderate 
crest, a grass-green body with chestnut wing-coverts edged with 
maroon, and a black bill. These birds inhabit the dense forests 
of the Malay Peninsula, Tenasserim, Siam, Borneo, Sumatra, and 
Java, up to an altitude of a few thousand feet; they hunt in 
small parties for seeds, berries, and insects, are very shy, quick of 
movement and hard to flush, and utter a mellow whistle.  Ca/o- 
perdiz oculea of similar range to Follul/us—unless we separate C. 
borneensis with more chestnut throat—has the crown, neck, and 
under parts rufous-chestnut, the back and tail black with cres- 
centic white anterior and reddish posterior markings, the wing- 
coverts brown with round black spots, the quills brown and 
buff, the face and throat buff, a white supra-aural stripe, and 
black flanks with whitish bars. The male is only distinguished 
by possessing a pair or two of spurs. This bird haunts dense 
uninhabited forests, and eats insects, seeds, and berries. Haemat- 
1 For more details, see art. Quail, Dresser, Birds of Zuvope, vii. 1878, pp. 143-154. 
