442 TETRAONIILE. 



utmost solicitude, and I have had to swerve my horse to prevent 

 his setting his foot on one as she crouched anxiously over a 

 chick." 



Colonel Butler tells me that he found nests of this species near 

 Deesa from the 17th August to the 27th November, and that five 

 was the largest number of eggs he ever found in one nest. 



Mr. C. J. W. Taylor took the eggs at Manzeerabad in Mysore on 

 the 27th April. 



Mr. Davidson writes that in both Sholapoor and the Panch 

 Mahals, this Quail bred in the latter parts of the rains among longish 

 grass, the general number of eggs, and the most he has taken, being 

 six. And referring to Western Khandesh, he says that he has taken 

 eggs in all months but May, June, July, and August. 



Typically the eggs are moderately broad ovals, a good deal pointed 

 towards the small end ; but more or less elongated varieties occur, 

 and here and .there pretty perfect ovals, or even eggs pointed at 

 both ends, are met with. The eggs are white, glossy, and spotless, 

 tinged, but far less deeply than in the Grey Partridge, with exces- 

 sively pale cafe-au-lait colour. 



In length they vary from 0-95 to 1-12, and in breadth from O78 

 to O91 ; but the average of forty-one eggs is 1-02 by 0'84. 



Microperdix erythrorhynchus (Sykes). The Painted Bush-Quail. 



Perdicula erythrorhyncha (Sykes), Jerd. B. Ind. ii, p. 584. 

 Microperdix erythrorhyncha (Sykes), Hume, Rouyh Draft N. fy E. 



no. 828. 



From the end of August until well into April, according to 

 situation and elevation, eggs of the Painted Bush-Quail are to be 

 found. As in the case of many other species, their season of 

 nidificatiou probably depends a good deal upon whether their habitat 

 is exposed to the south-west or north-east monsoon. Possibly 

 they have two broods. 



Ten is, I believe, the full complement of eggs, but many more 

 are said to be sometimes found, and perhaps two hens occasionally 

 share a nest. The nest is placed on the ground under the shelter 

 of some cover, and varies precisely as does that of the Rock Bush- 

 Quail. 



The Painted Bush-Quail is common throughout the hills and 

 jungles of the Peninsula of India and on the west occurs as far 

 north as the Satpooras, and, 1 am informed, at the Grhats above 

 Bombay. On the east, in the jungles of the Mahanuddy, Sum- 

 bulpoor and Sirgoojah in Chota Nagpoor, it appears to be replaced 

 by a closely allied species, M. hleivitti. 



The present species is extremely abundant on the Nilghiris, 

 whence (from Kotaghery) Miss Cockburn writes : " The Painted 

 Bush-Quail breeds in the months of January, February, and March, 

 and again in September and October. They build no nests, but 

 merely scratch shallow holes in the ground in which they lay from 

 ten to fourteen eggs. A few minutes after the young are hatched 



