230 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Genus TURNIX. 
Turnix Bonnaterre, Tabl. Ency. Méth. Ornith., Vol. I., pp. rxxxm., 5, 1791. Type (by 
subsequent designation, Gray, p. 63, 1840): 7. gibraltarica Bonn. = Tetrao sylvatica Des- 
fontaines. 
Ortygis Mliger, Prodr. Mamm. et Av., p. 242, (pref. dated April) 1811. Newname for Turnix 
Linn. = Bonnaterre. 
Hemipodius Temminck, Pigeons et Gall., Vol. III., p. 607, 1815 ex Reinwardt MS. New 
name for T’urnix Bonnaterre. 
Ortyx Oken, Lehrb. der Naturg., Vol. III., Zool., pt. m., p. 611, vm., 1816. New name for 
“Turnia.” 
Ortyx Billberg, Synops. Faun Scand., Vol. I., pt. u., tab. A, 1828. New name for Ortygis 
Illiger (cf. Austral Ay. Rec., Vol. IT., pts. 2 and 3, p. 37, Oct. 23rd, 1913). 
Medium Turnices with long thin bills (for this Order), short round wings, short 
tail and stout legs and feet. The bill is comparatively long and thin, laterally 
compressed, tip sharp; the nasal groove long, about half the length of the bill, 
the nostrils linear pervious slits overhung by strong membranous operculum, placed 
near base of bill; the under mandible with distinct perpendicular rami enclosing 
feathered interramal space, not so spoon-like as in the Quails. 
The wing is rounded, the first three primaries subequal and longest, the fourth 
very little less and the secondaries fairly long, reaching to the seventh primary. 
The tail is composed of soft feathers and is short and rounded, less than one-third 
the length of the wing, and the upper and under tail-coverts are longer than the 
tail-feathers. The legs are stout, the tarsus regularly scutellate in front and behind, 
the toes long, the middle toe longest, the outer longer than the inner and there is 
no hind-toe; the claws are sharp. 
Coloration : the females are larger and more brightly coloured than the males ; 
the upper-surface greyish-brown barred with black and chestnut, the under-surface 
showing throat and abdomen unbarred, the barring appearing on the chest. 
156. Turnix maculosa~—BLACK-BACKED QUAIL. 
Gould, Vol. V., pl. 84 (pt. xxt.), Dec. Ist, 1845. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 1, pl. 13, Oct. 31st, 
1910. 
Hemipodius maculosus Temminck, Pigeons et Gall., Vol. II., p. 631, 1815: Nouvelle 
Hollande = Sydney. 
Hemipodius melanotus Gould, Synops, Birds Austr., pt. 1, pl. (30), April Ist, 1837: “Van 
Diemen’s Land ’’ = Moreton Bay, Queensland. 
Turnia maculosa pseutes Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII, p. 180, Jan. 31st, 1912: Parry’s 
Creek, North-west Australia. 
Turnix maculosa yorki Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. III., pt. 3, p. 53, April 7th, 1916: 
Cape York, North Queensland. 
DistTRIBUTION.—North Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, North- 
west Australia. 
Adult female-—Head greyish-brown, barred with black; feathers of the fore-head 
margined with rufous ; hind-neck and sides of neck bright rufous ; back slate-grey, 
barred with black and chestnut ; scapulars similar in colour, margined with white 
or ochreous-buff on the outer webs ; lower back, rump and upper tail-coverts black, 
the feathers very narrowly barred or margined with chestnut or white ; tail-feathers 
brown, with indications of black bars; lesser wing-coverts dusky ; median and 
greater wing-coverts barred with ochreous and black; bastard-wing dark brown 
margined on the outer web with buffy-white ; primary-coverts blackish ; quills 
dark brown, the outer one edged with white ; the innermost secondaries like the 
back, with ochreous, black and white markings ; lores and a line over the eye, ear- 
coverts, sides of face and throat pale rufous, as also the flanks and under tail-coverts ; 
fore-neck and sides of breast brighter rufous, the feathers on the latter barred or 
spotted with black; middle of abdomen whitish ; axillaries and aspect of wings 
