lOG FRANK forester's FIELD SPORTS. 



tip, the sitlcs convex. Nostrils situated in the basal membrane, 

 oblique, linear, covered above by a cartilage. Head small, flat- 

 tened above with a conical, pendulous, erectile caruncle on the 

 forehead. Neck slender, body robust. Feet longish and strong ; 

 tarsus covered anterioi'ly with numerous transverse scutella, 

 scaly on the sides, scutellate behind. Toes scutellate above, 

 scabrous, papillar, and flat beneath ; hind toe elevated, half the 

 length of the lateral toes, which are nearly equal, and much 

 shorter than the middle toe ; claws slightly arched, strong, con- 

 vex above, obtuse, flat beneath. A conical rather obtuse spur 

 on the tarsus, about two-thirds down, 



"Conical papilla of the forehead rugose, sparsely covered 

 with bristles. Head bare, and corrugated, the skin irregularly 

 raised, and covered with a few scattered bristles. External ear 

 margined with short and slender thin feathers. Plumage in 

 general short, compact, glossy, with metallic reflections. Fea- 

 thers double, as in other gallinaceous birds, generally oblong 

 and truncated. A pendulous tuft of long bristles from the upper 

 part of the breast. Wings shortish, convex, rounded, the fourth 

 and fifth quills longest. Tail rather long, ample, rounded, con- 

 ssting of eighteen broad, rounded feathers, capable of being 

 erected and expanded in a permanent manner, when the bird 

 is excited, and reaching nearly to the ground, when the bird is 

 standing erect. 



" Bill yellowish-brown. Frontal caruncle blue and red. Ru- 

 gose and carunculated skin of the head and neck of various tints 

 of blue and purple, the pendulous anterior caruncles of the lat- 

 ter, or ivattles, bright red, changing to blue. Iris hazel. Legs 

 and toes bright purplish-red, claws brown. Upper part of the 

 back and wings yellowish-brown, with metallic lustre, changing 

 to deep purple, the truncated tips of the feathers broadly mar- 

 gined with velvet black. On the middle and lower back, the 

 black terminal bands of the feathers almost conceal the bronze 

 color. The large quill coverts are of the same color as the back, 

 but more bronzed, with purple reflections. Quills brownish- 

 black, the primaries banded with grayish-white, the secondaries 



