LEKWA. 145 



streaked with buffy white or in some birds darker buff, from the 

 feathers having broad buff edges ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and 

 middle rail-feathers more rufous, more coarsely verrniculated, and 

 without whitish spots ; primaries and secondaries greyish brown, 

 without white at the base ; inner primaries and the secondaries 

 white-tipped, and the white running up the outer web in the 

 secondaries ; outer tail-feathers blackish brown with rufous tips ; 

 upper breast white, like throat, but divided from the lower breast 

 by a dark grey band ; remainder of lower parts white with broad 

 black streaks, broadest on the flanks. 



It appears almost certain that the two sexes are alike when adult, 

 except that the male has a thick spur. In immature birds the upper 

 breast and sides of the neck are dark grey speckled and vermicular ed 

 with pale buff, the white being restricted to the chin and middle 

 of the throat ; the lower border of the upper breast is purer grey. 

 Still younger birds have the upper plumage much spotted and 

 mottled, and they want the black marks on the lower parts. 



Bill dull red ; irides brown ; orbits red ; legs red. The bill is 

 said by Hume to be greenish horny in females, but they were 

 perhaps immature. 



Length of male about 20 ; tail 7 ; wing 1O5 ; tarsus 2*4 ; bill 

 from gape 1'3 : female rather less. 



Distribution. The higher Tibetan plateaus and some of the ranges 

 around Yarkarid and Kashghar. Within Indian limits this species 

 has been found in Ladak, at the head of the Spiti valley, and in 

 very high tracts in Kurnaun and Sikhim. 



Habits, tyc. Similar to those of T. himalayensis ; but this species 

 keeps to even higher elevations, rarely, if ever, descending below 

 15,000 feet in summer. Nidification unknown. 



Genus LERWA, Hodgs., 1837. 



A single species, almost restricted to the higher Himalayas, 

 constitutes this genus. The plumage is peculiar, barred above, and 

 marked below with large elongate chestnut spots that coalesce 011 

 the breast. The tarsus is feathered in front for half its length ; 

 the tail, of 14 feathers, is rounded at the end, and is rather more 

 than half the length of the wing ; the 1st primary is normally about 

 equal to the 3rd and very little shorter than the 2nd, which is 

 longest. Sexes alike in plumage ; the male has a blunt spur on 

 the tarsus. 



1380. Lerwa nivicola. The Snow-Partridge. 



Perdix lerwa, Hodgs. P. Z. S. 1833, p. 107. 



Lerwa nivicola, Hodgs. Madr. Jour. L. S. v, p. 301 (1837) ; B.yth, 



Cat. p. 248 ; Jerdon, E. I. iii, p. 555 j Stoliczka, J. A. 8. B. xxxvii, 



pt. 2, p. 68 ; Blan/ord, J. A. S. B. xli, pt. 2, p. 72 ; Hume, Cat. 



no. 817 ; Hume fy Marsh. Game B. ii, p. 1, pi. ; Oates in Hume's 



N. 4 E. 2nd ed. iii, p. 428. 

 Lerwa lerwa, Ogilvie Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 100. 



YOL. IV. L 



