Mr. W. R. Ogilvic-Grant on the Genus Turnix. 459 



as common in the south, and perhaps may be met with in 

 the mountainous parts of S. India. No doubt there are two 

 forms found in Ceylon, but they cannot be distinguished by 

 the colour of the belly. The former from the intermediate 

 zone is similar in all probability to the birds of the true 

 " taigoor " type from South and Central India, &c., but of 

 this form, as already remarked, I have seen no examples ; 

 while the latter, of which we have a fair series, inhabits the 

 south-western portion of the island, where the rainfall is 

 heavy, and is precisely identical with the Sumatran and 

 Javan birds known as T. pugnax. 



Though only an insular form of T. taigoor, I consider that 

 T. pugnax should be retained under its present name, for in 

 the adult female there is always a fairly marked rufous nuchal 

 collar, which is distinctly differentiated from the colour of 

 the back, showing a step towards the Philippine bird T. fas- 

 data with its heavy rufous collar. There is no difference 

 in size between T. taigoor and T. pugnax taken as a whole. 



3. Turnix fasciata, Temm. 



(1815.) Turnix fasciatus, Temminck, Pig. et Gall. iii. 

 pp. 634, 757. 



(1877.) Turnix nigrescens, Tweeddale, P. Z. S. 1877, p. 765. 



(1888.) Turnix haynaldi, Blasius, Ornis, iv. p. 317. 



Of the rufous-collared birds of this group of Turnix which 

 inhabit the Philippine Islands three species have been 

 distinguished. The description of the original specimen 

 given by Temminck (Pig. et Gall. iii. pp. 634, 757) is clearly 

 based on an immature female or male, almost certainly the 

 former, with which his description agrees exactly, for (p. 757) 

 he says, " gula pectoreque albo et nigro transversim fascia- 

 tis,^' from which we may safely infer that the black throat 

 of the adult was beginning to appear. Each of the throat- 

 feathers becomes black at the tip and the base in this inter- 

 mediate stage before the female becomes adult, while at the 

 same time the dark brownish-black head and back begin to 

 take the place of the more rufous young plumage, each 

 feather of the top of the head becoming dark at the base and 



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