102 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



They then begin cautiously to reunite, 

 uttering all the time their low note of 

 alarm." 



Dr. Jerdon remarks : — " It lives in 

 moderately large bevies, which rise all 

 together, but with less whirr than the 

 other Bush-Quails, their plumage generally 

 being softer and not so firm." 



The Painted Bush-Quail probably has 

 two or more broods in the year, for Miss 

 Cockburn tells us that in the Nilgiris 

 it breeds in January, February and 

 March, and also in September and October. 

 From ten to fourteen eggs are deposited 

 in the nest, which is merely a shallow 

 hole scratched in the ground under the 

 shelter of some cover. The eggs are 

 oval in shape with little gloss, and of a 

 spotless and very pale buff colour. They 

 measure in length from i"ii to 1*35, 

 and in breadth from '87 to '95. 



The male has the forehead, the crown, 

 the point of the chin and the greater 

 portion of the sides of the head black, 

 with a brown patch on the hinder part 

 of the crown. A white band crosses 

 the crown between the eyes and is con- 

 tinued over them to the back of the 

 head ; the cheeks and the whole throat 

 are white. The upper plumage is brown 



