PERDICIN &. 307 
Male, head, face, and neck variegated black and white, the 
feathers being black with white streaks and triangular spots, 
the head mostly black; the upper plumage and wings rich ches- 
nut, with spots on the back, sides of neck, shoulders and wing- 
coverts ; primaries earthy-brown ; tail dark sepia-brown, glossed 
with green in old birds; beneath the throat and neck are 
variegated black and white, changing on the breast to ochreous- 
buff, with small triangular black marks, which disappear on the 
abdomen; the flanks, thigh-coverts, and under tail-coverts dull 
chesnut. 
The female has the top of the head dusky, with the forehead 
over the eye, and the nape, tinged with chesnut; a pale ruff and 
moustachial line; the rest of the plumage dull olive-brown, 
changing to ochreous-olive on the breast and abdomen. 
Young males have the general plumage of female, with the 
tertiaries and tail chesnut brown, with black bands. 
Young females have blackish lunulations on part of their 
plumage. 
The male has from one to three spurs on each leg, generally 
two on each, occasionally three on one and two on the other. 
The female has usually at least one spur on each leg, 
occasionally two, very rarely none at all. 
The Painted Spur Fowl is rare in the Deccan ; indeed it has 
only, I believe, been procured once, about 40 miles north-east 
of Belgaum ; one was shot by General Nuttal about 35 miles 
from Neemuch, Central India, the skin of which is now in my 
possession, but the Red Spur Fowl is much the commonest of the 
two species. 
Famity, Setraonide. 
Bill generally short, stout, and thick ; nostrils in many plumed 
at the base ; wings rounded in most, pointed in a few, longer than 
in the Phasianide ; tail short or moderate, even or very slightly 
rounded, forked and lengthened in a few; tarsus rather short and 
stout ; face feathered entirely, or with a small patch of nude 
skin over or round the eye. Plumage of the sexes in general 
differing but very slightly, sometimes not at all. 
SUB-FAMILY, Perdicine. 
Tarsus not feathered ; orbits generally plumed, or wanting the 
nude eyebrow of the grouse ; tarsus often spurred. 
Grnus, Francolinus, Stephens. 
Bill moderate or somewhat long, stout, slightly curved at the 
tip; tail of 14 feathers, somewhat lengthened, even, or very 
slightly rounded ; tarsi of the male with strong but blunt spurs. 
Francolinus vulgaris, Step. 
818.—Jerdon’s Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 558; Butler, Guzerat ; 
