TURNIX. 19 



under tail-coverts washed with buff; quills blackish brown, first three or 

 four narrowly edged with pale buff or white ; first alula-quill widely edged 

 with pale buff or white; coverts light buff, more or fewer with strong 

 cross-bars. Bill black, yellow at base ; legs pale greenish yellow. Length, 

 140. Three males measure: Wing, 68 to 76; tail, 23 to 28; culmen, 

 12 to 13; tarsus, 21 to 22; middle toe with claw, 18 to 19.5. 



Adult female. Like the adult male but larger; chin and throat black; 

 hind neck and sides of neck decorated with a collar of rich chestnut. 

 Iris white; bill yellow, slightly greenish toward tip; legs greenish; nails 

 flesh-colored. Length, 160. Three females measure: Wing, 72 to 81; 

 tail, 29 to 30.5; culmen, 13 to 14; tarsus, 23 to 25; middle toe with 

 claw, 20 to 23. 



Young. Immature birds of both sexes resemble the adult male but 

 the bars of breast are reduced to spots or to irregular Y-shaped bars; 

 above more uniform, dull rusty brown and edges of feathers more or less 

 rusty; wing-coverts blackish brown, notched with white. 



There is much variation in the color of the upper parts due to wear; 

 birds in fresh plumage (February, Manila) are largely chestnut above 

 and males may have a narrow chestnut collar; the rich color fades and 

 the feathers become abraded very rapidly. A male (March 17, Tarlac) 

 shows scarcely any chestnut and that of a faded hue. The species is 

 easily recognized in any plumage by the black bars (spots in young) on 

 breast. 



Eggs. "The eggs of the Philippine bustard quail are grayish white, 

 densely covered with specks and dots of yellowish brown and small 

 blotches of pale purple. The three examples in the collection [collected 

 by the Steere Expedition in Negros, November 10], are very broad ovals 

 and measure respectively: 28.4 by 21.3; 27 by 21.3; 26 by 21.3." 

 (Oate.) 



A nest believed to belong to this species was found in Mindoro, 

 March 23, 1905. It was made of dry grass and placed on the ground 

 in an old clearing, where it was well hidden by the surrounding grass. 

 The three eggs were slightly incubated; two of them measure 25 by 20 

 and the third measures 24.6 by 19.8. The ground-color is white, closely 

 speckled with dull greenish brown and occasional small spots of various 

 shades of lilac, the larger end rather thickly marked with blotches of 

 blackish brown. One specimen from Manila, July 30, 1908, measures 

 23.5 by 18.5. 



"Common about old paddy-fields and on grassy plains. It flies but a 

 short distance and then buries itself in the grass, where it runs rapidly 

 and hides so well that one is seldom able to flush a bird the second time." 

 (Bourns and Worcester MS.) 



