226 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



154. Ypsilophorus ypsilophorus. BROWN QUAIL. 



Gould, Vol. V., pi. 89 (pt. xii.), Sept. 1st, 1843 ; pi. 90 (pt. xxvi.), March 1st, 1847 ; pi. 91 



(pt. xxix.), Dec. 1st, 1847. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 1, pis. 10 and 11, Oct. 31st, 1910. 



Coturnix ypsilophorus Bosc, Journ. d'Hist. Nat. (Paris), Vol. II., No. 20, p. 297, pi. 39, 1792 : 



No loc. = I have designated Tasmania (Frederick Henry Bay). 



Perdix australis Latham, Index Ornith. Suppl., p. LXII., 1801, after May 30th : Sydney, New 



South Wales. 



Synoicus diemenensis Gould, Birds Austr., pt. xxvi., March 1st, 1847 : Tasmania. 



Synoicus sordidus Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. (Lond.), 1847, p. 33, April 27th : South Australia. 



Synoicus cermnus Gould, Handb. Birds Austr., Vol. II., p. 195, (Dec.) 1865 : Port Essington, 



Northern Territory. 



Coturnix australis rogersi Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 179, Jan. 31st, 1912 : Parry's 



Creek, North-west Australia (coast). 



Coturnix australis mungi Mathews, ib. : Mungi, North-west Australia (interior). 



Coturnix australis melvilknsis Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., pt. 2, p. 26, April 2nd, 1912 : 



Melville Island, Northern Territory. 



Coturnix australis queenslandicus Mathews, ib. : Cape York, Queensland. 



DISTRIBUTION. Australia generally. Tasmania. 



Adult male. Brown, more or less rufous or vinous, washed with bluish-ash 

 tcolour, and with narrow and evanescent shaft-lines of white to the feathers of the 

 back. Head brown, mottled with broad black markings, not very distinct, but 

 more so on the sides of the crown, the centre of the latter being rather more vinous 

 and showing narrow white shaft-lines which are continued to the nape, and appear 

 in a lesser degree on the hind-neck and mantle, which have a more vinous tint, with 

 ill-defined wavy blackish bars, most of the feathers bluish-ash colour at the ends, 

 imparting an ashy shade to the upper-parts ; scapulars, remainder of back and 

 upper tail-coverts similarly shaded and marked, the white shaft-lines scarcely 

 perceptible, but the black cross-bars more distinct ; wing-coverts rufous-brown, 

 with indistinct blackish bars, but no conspicuous ashy shade, and the white shaft- 

 lines obsolete ; quills brown, the primaries externally mottled with dull rufous, 

 crossed with blackish bars, the secondaries more conspicuously freckled and barred 

 with rufous externally, the pattern being rufous with irregular dusky bars and spots, 

 the inner secondaries being entirely rufous, vermiculated with blackish-brown, and 

 having a black subterminal bar before a pale rufescent tip ; tail-feathers dusky- 

 brown, with zigzag bars of rufous, the centre feathers with black and fulvous bars ; 

 eyebrow, lores, and sides of face dull ashy-brown, the ear-coverts with narrow shaft- 

 lines of white ; the throat uniform pale vinous, whiter on the chin ; lower throat 

 and remainder of under-surface vinous-buff, varied with wavy bars of black, with 

 white shaft-lines or centres to the feathers, the white often dividing the wavy black 

 bar in the middle ; the black bars more distinct and broader on the abdomen, sides 

 of body and flanks ; under tail -co verts like the abdomen and broadly barred with 

 black ; under wing-coverts pale ashy, as also the axiUaries and quill-lining. Total 

 length about 189 mm. ; culmen 18, wing 96, tail 41, tarsus 25. 



Adult female. Differs from the male in having the back blotched with broad 

 black spots or bars, the latter mostly reaching one side of the white shaft-streak, 

 thus causing the latter to stand out in bolder relief ; the sides of the crown blackish, 

 forming a broad band on each side, slightly mottled with rufous ; along the centre 

 of the crown a distinct line of white, corresponding to the whitish superciliary streak 

 over each eye, the feathers being white, edged with black ; throat ashy-whitish ; 

 remainder of under-surface pale ochraceous-buff, regularly barred with wavy lines 

 of black, with white shaft-lines, generally dividing the latter, the waved bars much 

 broader on the sides of the body and especially on the flanks ; under tail -co verts 

 also broadly barred with black ; under wing-coverts and axillaries, as well as quill- 

 lining, ashy -grey ; Bill bluish ; eyes dark red ; feet orange. Total length 197 mm. ; 

 culmen 16, wing 100, tail 45, tarsus 18. The absence of vinous colour and grey on 



