388 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie Grant on the 



tail-feathers and seeing whether any are missing. In some of 

 the small Quails^ such as Excalfactoria, it is not always easy 

 to distinguish between the upper tail-coverts and true tail- 

 feathers^ but, by following the above method, with a little 

 care one cannot well make a mistake. 



The species marked with a f are not represented in the 

 British Museum Collection, and those marked with a * have 

 never been figured. 



Bambusicola. 



Tail of fourteen feathers, long, wedge-shaped, the outer pair 

 of feathers being about two thirds the length of the middle 

 pair, which are more than two thirds the length of the wing. 



First primary considerably shorter than the tenth, which 

 is equal to, or shorter than, the second. The fifth primary 

 is slightly the longest. 



Males (and sometimes females) with a pair of spurs on 

 the tarsi. 



Nails as in Francolinus, rather short and curved. 



Key to the Species 0/ Bambusicola J. 



A. Superciliary stripe buff; chest buff, spotted 



with rufous; inner webs of the primary 



quills mostly chestnut B.fytchii, <^ 2 • 



B. Superciliary stripe grey ; chest grey ; inner 



webs of primary quills dark blackish 

 brown. 



a. Cheeks and ear-coverts rufous chestnut .... B. thoracica, ^ 5 . 



b. Cheeks and ear-coverts dark grey B. sononvox, J 5 . 



J La Perdrix de Gingi, Sonnerat, Voy. Ind. Orient, ii. p. 168 (1872) 

 [female only]. 



The female specimen here characterized has undoubtedly nothing what- 

 ever to do with the male, which is an Arboricola. Like all Sonnerat's 

 descriptions, it is very accurately drawn up, and there cannot be the least 

 doubt that his female Perdrix de Gingi is a species oi Bambusicola, possibly 

 B. sonorivox from Formosa, or some closely allied form. The description, 

 however, differs from the Formosan bird in several important particulars ; 

 for instance, the top and hind part of the head and neck are dirty grey, 

 instead of broxon, the throat and fore part of the neck are deep broivn, not 

 dnrh chestmit. and the sides of the bellv are chestmd, with black subter- 



