238 A MANUAL OF THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 



162. Colcloughia melanogaster. BLACK- BREASTED QUAIL. 



Gould, Vol. V., pi. 81 (pt. xxii.), March 1st, 1846. Mathews, Vol. I., pt. 1, pi. 14, Oct. 31st, 



1910. 



Hemipodius melanogaater Gould, Synops. Birds Austr., pt. n., pi. 31, April 1st, 1837 : New 



South Wales = Moreton Bay, Queensland. 



Colcloughia melanogaster goweri Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. III., pt. 3, p. 53, April 



7th, 1916 : Gowrie Creek, Rockingham Bay, Queensland. 



DISTRIBUTION. Queensland, New South Wales. 



Adult female. General colour above brown, with a good deal of chestnut on 

 the mantle, upper back and scapulars, which are all crossed with narrow bars of 

 black, the scapulars with a broad black subterminal bar, and having a longitudinal 

 white streak on the edge of either web ; these streaks of white, bordered by a line 

 of black, are also apparent on the mantle and upper back ; but less marked on the 

 lower back, which is almost entirely brown, save for a few indistinct bars of rufous 

 and black ; rump and upper tail -coverts with a slight shade of chestnut, but otherwise 

 brown, sparsely barred across with black, and having a few white, black-edged, 

 streaks or spots of white on the margins of the feathers, some of the upper tail-coverts 

 with whitish spots or bars, followed by a terminal bar of black ; wings much more 

 thickly spangled with white, the wing-coverts in the main ashy-brown, but mixed 

 with chestnut, most of them being of the latter colour, narrowly barred with black 

 towards the ends, and having a broad white streak along the outer margin, before 

 which is a conspicuous black streak ; the lesser coverts nearly uniform dark brown, 

 slightly tinged with chestnut, but devoid of white streaks ; the greater coverts 

 dusky-brown, with sandy-brown margins ; primary-coverts and quills uniform 

 dusky-brown, the two outer primaries sandy-brown along the outer web ; secondaries 

 also dusky-brown, more or less sandy-buff towards the end of the outer web, the 

 inner secondaries externally tinged with chestnut, and with a few dusky cross-bars ; 

 tail-feathers dusky-brown, freckled with a few cross lines of black ; crown of head 

 black, with a slight tinge of chestnut towards the nape, and a few white spotted 

 feathers above the eye, continued above the ear-coverts to the sides of the neck, the 

 feathers of which are black, with a broad subterminal spot of white, these white 

 spotted feathers extending across the hind-neck ; lores, ear-coverts and cheeks black, 

 with a streak of white on the fore-part of the cheeks below the eye ; throat and entire 

 breast black, with white spots or subterminal bars on the feathers, the white bars 

 being very distinct on the sides of the breast, where a few feathers are chestnut ; 

 abdomen and flanks dull ashy -grey, with a blackish bar on the ends of some of the 

 feathers, the flanks also showing an occasional subterminal white spot between two 

 bars of black ; the long feathers of the lower flanks and the under tail-coverts 

 vermiculated with blackish, and having a subterminal spot of dull white or buff ; 

 under wing-coverts and axillaries dull ashy ; the marginal coverts darker ; quills 

 dull ashy below. Total length 190 mm. ; culmen 19, wing 114, tail 38, tarsus 23. 



Adult male. Distinguished from the female by the absence of the black on the 

 head, and throat, paler abdomen and smaller size. Total length 164 mm. ; culmen 

 16, wing 104, tail 40, tarsus 23. 



Immature. Above like that of Marianornis, a shade more buff, the breast 

 feathers quite similar but the abdomen with buff feathers barred indistinctly with 

 black ; the bill and legs stout. 



Nestli ng . Undescri bed . 



Nest. Merely a slight depression in the ground, in grassed or open scrub 

 oountry. 



Eggs. Clutch, three to four ; smooth and glossy, with the ground-colour 

 greyish-white, minutely freckled over the entire surface with blue-grey, and bolder 

 blotches of blackish-brown ; with underlying blotches of blue-grey ; axis 26-27 mm., 

 diameter 21. 



