BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 105 



scrub and searching for food. Often one may find it in close 

 proximity to bush homesteads, always providing there is an 

 abundance of cover available under which it can hide when 

 danger threatens. This proclivity has been fatal to many birds 

 in more than one district, the domestic cats being responsible 

 for the damage done. It is said that this bird sometimes does 

 no little damage to freshly planted seeds in settlers' gardens. 

 Seeds of all descriptions, small berries, especially those of the 

 native cherry (Exocarpus), and insects form its stable food. 



ORDER GALLIN/E : GAME BIRDS. 



Sub-Order Alectoropodes. 

 FAMILY-PHASIANID/E (3 species). 



STUBBLE QUAIL 

 (Coturnix pectoralis, Gould). 



Male. Crown of the head blackish-brown, all the feathers 

 tipped with reddish-brown; a pale buff stripe down the centre 

 of the head and mantle sandy, each feather with a broad buff 

 shaft-stripe tapering to a point; also on one or both webs there 

 is a wide black blotch; scapulars, rump, back, and upper tail 

 coverts very similar in colour to mantle, but with narrow wavy 

 bars of reddish-white; wing coverts light brown, with narrow 

 shaft-streaks and transverse bars of buff; quills blackish-brown, 

 outer webs of primaries brown; sides of head, chin, throat, and 

 fore-neck uniform dull brick-red; a black putch in the middle of 

 the chest; sides of chest, breast, and abdomen whitish, with a 

 black stripe down the centre of each feather; sides and flanks 

 reddish-buff, with wide shaft-streaks of white; bill black; legs 

 and feet pale flesh colour. Dimensions in mm. : Length, 190; 

 bill, 10.5; wing, 107; tail, 85; tarsus, 22. 



Female. Upper surface resembles male, save that the hind- 

 neck and mantle are more sandy-buff ; sides of the head and throat 

 whitish-buff, spotted with black; "feathers of the chest and 

 breast with a black curved subterminal bar on either side of the 

 shaft, not confluent at the extremity but separated by a wide buff 

 isthmus" (B. M. Cat.) Bill, legs, and feet as in male. Dimen- 

 sions in mm.: Length, 192; bill, 10.5; wing, 103; tail, 37; 

 tarsus, 22. 



Young. Male. The dull brick colour on the sides of the head 

 and throat not distinct; black breast-patch almost absent. 



Nest. Frequently the nest is in a furrow in a crop, in which 

 case the depression is lined with straw; thick herbage is also 

 chosen, in which case the lining is grass. 



