230 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



Genus TURNIX. 



Turnix Bonnaterre, Tabl. Ency. Meth. Ornith., Vol. I., pp. LXXXH., 5, 1791. Type (by 



subsequent designation, Gray, p. 63, 1840) : T. gibraltarica Bonn. = Tetrao sylvatica Des- 



fontaines. 



Ortygis Illiger, Prodr. Mamm. et Av., p. 242, (pref. dated April) 1811. New name for Turnix 



Linn. = Bonnaterre. 



Hemipodius Temminck, Pigeons et Gall., Vol. III., p. 607, 1815 ex Reinwardt MS. New 



name for Turnix Bonnaterre. 



Ortyx Oken, Lehrb. der Naturg., Vol. III., Zool., pt. n., p. 611, vm., 1816. New name for 



"Turnix." 



Ortyx Billberg, Synops. Faunae Scand., Vol. I., pt. n., tab. A, 1828. New name for Ortygis 



lUiger (c/. Austral Av. Rec., Vol. II., pts. 2 and 3, p. 37. Oct. 23rd, 1913). 



Medium Tumices with long thin bills (for this Order), short round wings, short 

 tail and stout legs and feet. The bill is comparatively long and thin, laterally 

 compressed, tip sharp ; the nasal groove long, about half the length of the bill, 

 the nostrils linear pervious slits overhung by strong membranous operculum, placed 

 near base of bill ; the under mandible with distinct perpendicular rami enclosing 

 feathered interramal space, not so spoon-like as in the Quails. 



The wing is rounded, the first three primaries subequal and longest, the fourth 

 very little less and the secondaries fairly long, reaching to the seventh primary. 

 The tail is composed of soft feathers and is short and rounded, less than one-third 

 the length of the wing, and the upper and under tail-coverts are longer than the 

 tail-feathers. The legs are stout, the tarsus regularly scutellate in front and behind, 

 the toes long, the middle toe longest, the outer longer than the inner and there is 

 no hind -toe ; the claws are sharp. 



Coloration : the females are larger and more brightly coloured than the males ; 

 the upper-surface greyish-brown barred with black and chestnut, the under-surface 

 showing throat and abdomen unbarred, the barring appearing on the chest. 



156. Turnix maculosa. BLACK-BACKED QUAIL. 



Gould, Vol. V., pi. 84 (pt. xxi.), Dec. let, 1845. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 1, pi. 13, Oct. 31st, 

 1910. 



Hemipodius maculosus Temminck, Pigeons et Gall., Vol. III., p. 631, 1815 : Nouvelle 

 Hollande = Sydney. 



Hemipodius melanotus Gould, Synops, Birds Austr., pt. n., pi. (30), April 1st, 1837 : "Van 

 Diemen's Land " = Moreton Bay, Queensland. 



Turnix maculosa pseutes Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 180, Jan. 31st, 1912 : Parry's 

 Creek, North-west Australia. 



Turnix maculosa yorki Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. III., pt. 3, p. 53, April 7th, 1916 : 

 Cape York, North Queensland. 



DISTRIBUTION. North Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Northern Territory, North- 

 west Australia. 



Adult female. Head greyish-brown, barred with black ; feathers of the fore-head 

 margined with rufous ; hind-neck and sides of neck bright rufous ; back slate-grey, 

 barred with black and chestnut ; scapulars similar in colour, margined with white 

 or ochreous -buff on the outer webs ; lower back, rump and upper tail -co verts black, 

 the feathers very narrowly barred or margined with chestnut or white ; tail-feathers 

 brown, with indications of black bars ; lesser wing-coverts dusky ; median and 

 greater wing-coverts barred with ochreous and black ; bastard-wing dark brown 

 margined on the outer web with buffy -white ; primary -coverts blackish ; quills 

 dark brown, the outer one edged with white ; the innermost secondaries like the 

 back, with ochreous, black and white markings ; lores and a line over the eye, ear- 

 coverts, sides of face and throat pale rufous, as also the flanks and under tail-coverts ; 

 fore-neck and sides of breast brighter rufous, the feathers on the latter barred or 

 spotted with black ; middle of abdomen whitish ; axillaries and aspect of wings 



