184 BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Bring of H.M.S. ' Beagle;' Gilbert also found it at Port Es- 

 sington, and his notes respecting it I here transcribe : — 



" This species inhabits the sides of stony hills in coveys of 

 from fifteen to thirty in number ; which, when disturbed, 

 seldom rise together, but run along the ground, and it is 

 only upon being very closely pursued that they will take wing, 

 and then they merely fly to a short distance : while running 

 on the ground their heads are thrown up as high as their 

 necks will permit, and their bodies being carried very erect, a 

 waddling motion is given to their gait, which is very ludicrous. 

 The stomachs of those dissected were very muscular, and con- 

 tained seeds and a large proportion of pebbles." 



Head, neck, and chest olive-grey, the feathers of the head 

 and neck spotted with fawn-white at the tip, and those of the 

 chest having a spatulate mark of the same colour down the 

 centre ; centre of the abdomen and the under tail-coverts pale 

 buff; a narrow stripe over each eye, back, shoulders, and tail 

 rich chestnut ; the feathers on the back and shoulders spotted 

 with white, the white spots jDOunded anteriorly with black ; 

 primaries brown, edged with buff; irides gamboge-yellow; 

 bill light ash-grey; naked skin round the eye smoke-grey; 

 tarsi and feet king's-yellow. 



Total length 7 inches ; bill J ; wing 3^ ; tarsi 1. 



Sp. 483. TURNIX VELOX, Gould. 



Swift-flying Turnix. 



Hemipodius velox, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, part viii. p. 150. 

 Kar-a-dong, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia. 

 Little Quail of the Colonists. 



Hemipodius velox, Gould, Birds of Australia, fol., vol. v. pi. 87. 



I found this interesting species of Turnix abundant in 

 various parts of New South Wales, and ascertained that it is 

 strictly migratory, by finding it in those places in summer 



