BRUSH-TURKEY. 223 



narrowly, and those of the lower-breast and abdomen broadly edged with white 

 as also the thighs ; under tail-coverts composed of black down-like feathers. Skin 

 on head and upper part of neck red, remainder of neck yellow ; bill black ; iris 

 brownish-white ; feet yellow. Total length 586 mm. ; culmen, from hinder point 

 of nostril, 29, wing 296, tail 200, tarsus 93. 



Adult female. Similar to the male, distinguished only by the absence of the 

 wattle at the base of the neck. ; bill black, iris brownish-white ; feet yellow. Total 

 length 577 mm. ; culmen 24, wing 291, tail 210, tarsus 77. 



Young. Covered with down of a dark fulvous-brown colour, with some black 

 feathers appearing on the back ; wings and tail black, and the feathers on the 

 under-surface of the same colour, with whitish margins, as in the adult bird. 



Chick. Has the down much lighter colour, wing feathers pale brown with 

 paler margins ; under-surface of body more inclining to whitish. 



Nest. A large rotund mound of earth, chiefly black vegetable mould, with an 

 admixture of decaying matter, some of the mounds being surrounded with sticks. 

 Usually situated in dense scrub or forest. Dimensions about 12 feet in diameter 

 at the base, or a circumference of about 34 to 36 feet, and height about 2J feet. 



Eggs. Complement to a mound, if used by a pair of birds, twelve to fifteen ; 

 if used by several birds, i.e., three pairs, thirty -five to thirty -six ; elliptical in shape, 

 while some are more or less compressed at one end ; texture of shell coarse ; surface 

 without gloss, and rough ; colour pure white, more or less stained with the earth of 

 the mound. Dimensions 89-95 mm. by 59-62. 



Breeding -season. September to January. 



Incubation-period. About forty -two days. 



Distribution and forms. Confined to Eastern Australia, ranging from Cape 

 York to New South Wales ; three forms have been recorded : the southern A. I. 

 lathami Gray from New South Wales, the largest with the skin of the neck red, the 

 wattles yellow ; A. I. robinsoni Mathews from North Queensland, with similar 

 coloured but paler skin and wattles, and smaller size ; and A. I. purpureicollis 

 (Le Souef), from Cape York, North Queensland, also smaller with the skin of the 

 lower portion of the neck and the wattles purplish-white. 



SUPERFAMILY PHASIANOIDEA. 



This superfamily, containing all the well-known and familiar game-birds, is 

 separable into six families : Meleagrididae, Numididae, Tetraonidse, Phasianidae, 

 Perdicidae and Odontophoiidse. The first and last named families are American, 

 the second African, the third named Holarctic, the Phasianidse practically confined 

 to the Indo-Chinese Region, and the Perdicidae with headquarters in India range 

 into Palsearctic Region, into Africa and into Australia. Superficially there is 

 a great resemblance among the members, the Turkeys and Guineafowl being hand- 

 some and peculiar groups, while the Pheasants are very remarkable for their extrava- 

 gance in colour and design. The Perdicidae, with the greatest range, includes the most 

 modest and smallest members of the order, and is the only family penetrating into 

 Australia of this superfamily, only three small species referable to three genera, one 

 of which, as usual, is endemic, agreeing with the theory of continued immigrations 

 from the north. 



FAMILY PERDICHm 

 Genus COTURNIX. 



Coturnix Bonnaterre, Tabl. Ency. Meth. Ornith., Vol. I., pp. LXXXVII., 216, 1791. Type 

 (by tautonymy) : C. communis Bonn. = Tetrao coturnix Linne. 



Ortygion Keyserling und Blasius, Wirbelth. Europa's, pp. LXVI., 112, 202, (before April) 1840. 

 Type (by monotypy) : Tetrao coturnix Linne. 



