THREE-TOED OR BUSTARD-QUAILS, 267 
** Small millets, grass seeds, ants, white and black, and other 
small grains and insects constitute its food. It feeds almost 
exclusively in the early mornings and near sunset. At these 
times it may be seen running about along the paths of gardens 
or other enclosures, amongst isolated tufts of grass, on the 
margins of clumps of stunted jujube, and in the edges of low 
crops, and even in short stubbles, if these occur in the neigh- 
bourhood of suitable cover. 
“Ttis a verysilent bird, and except during the breeding season, 
Ihave never once heard it call; at that time the females emit a 
dull note, scarcely likely to attract attention unless you are on 
the look out for it. I have occasionally heard and noticed it, 
but not often. 
“The most remarkable point in the life-history of these 
Bustard-Quails is the extraordinary fashion in which amongst 
them the position of the sexes is reversed. The females are 
the larger and handsomer birds. The females only call, the 
females only fight—natives say that they fight for the males, 
and probably this is true. What is certain is that, whereas in 
the case of almost all the other Game Birds it is the males 
alone that can be caught in spring-cages, &c., to which they 
are attracted by the calls of other males, and to which they 
come in view to fighting, in this species no male will ever 
come to a cage baited with a male, whereas every female within 
hearing rushes to a cage in which a female is confined, and if 
allowed to meet during the breeding-season, any two females 
will fight until one or other is dead or nearly so. 
“The males, and the males only, as we have now proved in 
numberless cases, sit upon the eggs, the females meanwhile 
larking about, calling and fighting, without any care for their 
obedient mates ; and lastly, the males, and the males only, J 
believe, tend and are to be flushed along with the young 
brood. 
‘‘Almost throughout the higher sections of the animal king- 
dom you have the males fighting for the females, the females 
