Flor leans. 4 r 7 



afterwards dropping down to the ground, 

 humming the while in a peculiar tone. 

 The females then approach him. It is 

 probable that this Florican pairs with a 

 single female, and is not polygamous. 



The nest appears to be a mere hollow 

 in the ground, with or without a few blades 

 of grass as a lining. The eggs are probably 

 two in number. There is but a single 

 egg in the Hume Collection, and it was 

 found by Mr. Shillingford in Purneah in 

 June. It is oval in shape with very little 

 gloss. The ground-colour is pale olive- 

 green and the shell is smeared and some- 

 what longitudinally streaked all over with 

 pale reddish brown. It measures 2 '6 in 

 length by 176 in breadth. 



The flesh of this Florican is considered 

 very delicious, and Mr. Hume states that 

 it is amongst the best birds for the table 

 with which India furnishes us. 



The male bird in summer plumage has 

 the whole head, neck and lower plumage 

 deep black, the head being fully crested, 

 and the feathers on the throat, foreneck 

 and breast very long and ample ; those 

 on the breast forming a large tuft. The 

 upper plumage and the inner quills of the 

 wing are black mottled with buff. The 

 wing-coverts and all the quills except the 



27 



