GALLING. 305 



yellow spots, each feather being blackish with the shaft white 

 and two spots, the terminal one of somewhat square form, as 

 if a drop of yellow sealing wax ; the other whitish, passing on 

 the wing-coverts into oblong spots of glistening wood-brown ; 

 ear- co verts pale rufous ; the rest of the plumage above and below 

 blackish-grey, the feathers white shafted, and those on the 

 flanks broadly centred and tipped with wood-brown ; outermost 

 primaries dusky, with the shaft and narrow edge pale ; the 

 others black, faintly glossed ; upper tail-coverts glossy purple ; 

 cerilral tail-feathers glossy-green, the gloss diminishing on the 

 lateral feathers ; vent dirty- brownish ; under tail-coverts glossy 

 black with white shafts. 



The hen is mottled brown above, with pale shafts on the 

 wing-coverts ; beneath blackish-brown, the feathers broadly 

 centred with pure white, passing into plain dull brown on the 

 flanks, thigh- co verts, vent, and under tail-coverts ; head and neck 

 rufous- brown, paler on the chin and throat, and somewhat 

 yellowish ; primaries dark brown, the secondaries mottled brown ; 

 tail blackish-brown, edged with mottled-brown. 



The Grey Jungle Fowl is a common permanent resident all 

 along the Sahyadri Range, and in the adjoining forests, includ- 

 ing the hilly parts of Ratnagiri and Belgaum ; it is also common 

 on Mount Aboo, and indeed all along the Aravelli Range at all 

 events as far as Erinpoora, where I have myself obtained it. It 

 breeds during May and June, the eggs being deposited on the 

 ground under a bush ; there is not much nest to speak of, only 

 a few dry leaves. I have never found more than six eggs in a 

 nest ; they are oval in shape, pointed at one end, coarse in texture 

 and closely pitted all over like the eggs of guinea fowl. They 

 are creamy or of a rich cafe-au-lait color, most of them spotted 

 or speckled with brownish red. They measure 1'84 inches in 

 length by T38 in breadth. 



GENUS, Galloperdix, Blyth. 



Bill somewhat lengthened ; orbits nude ; tail moderately long, 

 broad, of fourteen feathers, held erect and folded as in fowls ; 

 tarsus of the male with two or more spurs ; females also with 

 one or more spurs, of small size. Sexes differ much in color. 



Galloperdix spadiceus, Gmelin. 



814. Jerdon's Birds of India, Vol. II, p. 541 ; Butler, Guzerat; u / j 

 Stray Feathers, Vol. IV, p. 5 ; Deccan, Stray Feathers, Vol. I/^J 

 IX, p. 422 ; Game Birds of India, Vol. I, p. 247 ; Swinhoe and 

 Barnes, Central India; Ibis, 1885, p. 131. 

 THE RED SPUR FOWL. 



Length, 13 to 15 ; expanse, 17 to 20 ; wing, 5*62 to 675 ; tail, 

 4'5 to 6 ; tarsus, T6 to 175 ; bill from gape, 1 to T2 ; weight, 

 .9 to 14 oz. 



20 



