CACCABIS. 73 



feather being while with two dark bands, and the shafts and tip bUxck ; under 

 tail coverts chestnut. Bill blackish ; irides_ dark brown ; legs yellowish red. 



Length. — 12 inches; wing 6 ; tail 2*75 ; tarsus 175. 



Hab. — Central and Southern India, where it replaces F. vulgaris. Found 

 throughout Bundelkiind and the Saugor and Nerbudda territories, thence 

 south to Nagpore and the Deccan ; west it extends into Khandesh and 

 perhaps Guzerat, and eastwards to the Northern Circars. Like its northern 

 congener, Jerdon adds that it delights in grassy plains and fields, but affects 

 more the open, dry and raised plains with scattered bushes. It breeds during 

 the monsoon (July to September), laying 7 — 8 eggs, rather of a peg-top shape, 

 broad and obtuse at the large end, and much pointed towards the small end ; 

 thecolourmay besaid to be a pale cafeau lait. Size i"3 to 1*45 by I'l to r22. 



93. FranCOlinUS chinensiS (C^^.), Hume, Nests and Eggs 

 Ind. B. p. 539; id., Str. F. iii. p. 171 ; War dlaiv- Ramsay , Ibis, 1877, 

 p. 46S ; Oates, Str. F. v. p. 164 ; Dav. et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 4OO ; Hume 

 and Dav., Str. F. vi. p. 443 ; Hume, Str. F. viii. p. in; Hu?ne and Marsti., 

 Game Birds ii, p. 27, pi.; Oates, Str. F. x. p. 236; id., B. Br. Burnt, ii. 

 p. 323. Tetrao chinensis, Osb., Voy. ii. p. 326. Tetrao perlatus, Gm., Syst. 

 Nat. i. p. 758. Francolinus Phayrei, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii. p. ion ; xxiv. 

 p. 480; id., B. Burm. p. 149. Francolinus perlatus, Anders., Yunnan Expel. 

 p. 672. — The Chinese Fraxcolin. 



Crow'n of the head black, each feather edged with chestnut ; a band from 

 the bill over the eyes and ear coverts black ; space between this and the crown 

 chestnut, a dark band from the bill on each side down the sides of the throat ; 

 space between these and the superciliary streak white ; chin and throat white. 

 Neck, back, breast, abdomen and sides of the body black, ocellated with fulvous 

 white; under tail coverts chestnut; rump and upper tail coverts barred black 

 and white; scapulars and tertiaries chestnut; coverts and wings blackish, 

 ocellated and barred with white ; tail black, barred with white, except at 

 the tip. 



'Y\iQ female has the whole lower plumage barred with black ; the chin white, 

 and wants the superciliary and coronal band, and there are no ocellations on the 

 wings; irides hazel , bill dusk}', paler at tip of upper mandible ; legs orange. 



Length. — 13 inches; tail 3-3 ; wing 57; tarsus 17; bill from gape i. 



Hab. — British Burmah, confined to the upper portion of the Irrawaddy valley 

 above Prome. Habits same as its other congeners. Breeds in June and July. 

 Eggs 8 in number, pale buff. Size — 1*45 to I'Si by i'2. 



Gen. Caccabis.— /i^w"/- 



Bill red, slightly longer than \n Francolinus : tarsi of male with a blunt 

 spur ; a small bare patch behind the eye. 



10 B 



