THE MALAY BUSTARD QUAIL. 337 



lead one to suppose that the sexes differ. Mr. Hume, however, is doubtless 

 correct *. 



The legs and feet vary from pale fleshy white to light lead-colour ; the 

 bills from leadeu white to lavender or plumbeous ; the irides are light 

 yellow to straw-white. (Hume.) 



Length 5 '5 inches, tail 1'2, wing 3, tarsus '8, bill from gape *55. The 

 female is rather larger. 



I procured a pair of the Little Button-Quail near the town of Pegu. It 

 seems to be rare, for I only met with it on that one occasion. These two 

 specimens agree well with others from India. It has not yet been obtained 

 in any other part of Burmah. 



It is spread over nearly the whole of the peninsula of India, and it will 

 probably be found in suitable localities in the tract of country lying between 

 India and British Burmah. Mr. Swinhoe found it abundant in the island 

 of Formosa. 



This species appears to frequent thick herbage and the outskirts of 

 gardens and brushwood ; it is found in pairs and not in coveys. In India 

 it breeds in the rains, laying four eggs in a depression in the ground ; 

 they are yellowish, marked minutely all over with brown of various shades. 



691. TURNIX PLUMBIPES. 

 THE MALAY BUSTARD QUAIL. 



Hemipodius plumbipes, Hodys. Beny. Sport. Mag. ix. p. 345. Turnix plum- 

 bipes, Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 554 ; Bl. fy Wold, B. Burm. p. 152 ; Oates, S. 

 F. v. p. 104 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 673 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 450 ; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. Ill ; Scully, S.F. viii. p. 3oO; Hume fy Marsh. Game Birds, 

 ii. p. 177, pi. ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 230. Turnix ocellatus (Scop.), Jerd. B. 2nd. 

 ii. p. 597. Turnix pugnax (Ttmm.) t Hume, S. F. iii. p. 178. 



Description. Male. Plumage above a mixture of rufous and black with 

 pale yellow streaks ; below rufescent, turning to chestnut on the flanks 

 and under tail-coverts, the fore neck, breast and sides of the body lunated 

 with black. 



The female is much larger and also darker above; the crown and sides 

 of the head, the sides and back of the neck are spotted with white ; the 

 chin, throat and breast black ; the sides of the breast and body lunated 

 with black. 



* But it may be well to note that Mr. Swinhoe (P. Z. S. 1871, p. 401) states that the 

 females of this specios thai Lc j in uud in 1'V.ni .U.-H \\civ t-huilar in plumage to the males 

 but larger. 



VOL. II. Z 



