284 CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE ORNITHOLOGY OF INDIA. 



the plumage is similar to that of the male, but there is a greyer 

 shade on the middle of the back, and the spots on the coverts 

 and tertials are larger and more numerous. 



I only once saw this species alive, but Davison remarks: — 

 tc This quail is very rare at the Andamans, where I only once 

 saw it and obtained one very indifferent specimen; but at the 

 Nicobars, at least on Oaraorta Island, it is not uncommon fre- 

 quenting the long grass, ocasionally straying into gardens, &c. 

 I have never seen them in coveys, but have found them usually 

 in pairs, sometimes singly ; they are difficult to get as they' will 

 not rise without being almost trodden on. When they do rise 

 they only fiy such a short distance that it would be impossible 

 to fire without blowing them to pieces, and then they drop 

 again into the long grass from which it is almost impossihle to 

 flush them a second time. I found them most numerous in the 

 large grassy tracts in the interior of Caraorta, I do not know 

 if they are permanent residents or not, but most probably they 

 are ; the Nicobarese were quite unacquainted wtth the bird, 

 and had no name for it." 



842.— Glareola orientalis, Leach. (4.) 



This species, though by no means plentiful, was occasionally 

 seen both at the Andamans and Nicobars; both Jerdon's des- 

 cription, Birds of India, Vol. II., p. 631, and that contained in 

 Gould's Hand-book to the Birds of Australia, Vol. II., p. 245, 

 appear to me somewhat unsatisfactory, and I cannot say that the 

 generality of the descriptions of G. pratincola, such as I have 

 been able to find in Macgillivray, Yarrell, Jardiue, or Gerbe and 

 Degland, are much more complete. 



My European specimens show the bird to be considerably 

 larger than orientalis, and with a wing varying from 7*75 to 8, 

 instead of from 7 to 7*25, as Yarrell aud others give it. 



The characteristic of pratincola is the conspicuous white- 

 tipping to the short secondaries which in the closed wing take 

 the form of a well-marked white bar; this is figured in the 

 Naturalist's library correctly enough, but is not referred to in 

 any one of the descriptions. The absence of this band con- 

 stitutes one of the chief distinguishing points between it and 

 pratincola. Another is to be found in the degree to which the 

 tail is forked ; in pratincola the exterior tail feathers project 

 from 2 to 2'5 inches beyond the central ones, in orientalis they 

 scarcely project above an inch. 



Then the adult orientalis is altogether a darker and warmer 

 colored bird ; the pectoral band is blacker and broader, and 



