220 PHASIANID^ COTUENIX 



Genus III. COTURNIX. 



Type. 

 Coturnix, Bonn., Tall. Encyl. Meth. i, pp. Ixxxvii, 



216 (1790) C. cornmunis. 



Bill small, short and conical ; head and throat fully feathered ; 

 wings long and pointed, the first primary being almost as long as 

 the second, which is generally the longest ; axillaries white ; tarsus 

 unfeathered ; no spurs in either sex ; tail very short and soft, 

 covered by the upper tail-coverts, less than half the length of the 

 wing and consisting of ten or twelve feathers. 



FIG. 67. Left foot of Coturnix africana. x T 



About six species of this genus are generally recognised ; they 

 are spread all over the Old World, including Australia and New 

 Zealand. Two species are found within our limits, one of which is 

 generally regarded as merely a subspecies of the common European 

 Quail. 



Contrary to what is usual in this order, the Quails are migratory 

 in habits. 



Key of the Species. 



A. Outer web of primaries brown, mottled and 



barred with buff. 

 a. With a longitudinal black band on the 



throat C. africana, cT,p. 221. 



6. No black band on the throat C. africana, ? , p. 221. 



JB. Outer web of the primaries uniform brown. 



a. Centre of breast and belly black C. delagorguei, $ , p. 224. 



b. Centre of breast and belly pale rufous 



slightly mottled with darker C. delagorguei, , p. 224. 



