ASSAM, SYLHET AND CACHAR. 805 



back of the neck and extreme upper back,* below the chestnut 

 collar ; (3) in having the white transverse lines on the middle 

 back, rump, upper tail-coverts and central tail-feathers much 

 narrower ; (4j in having the pale margins to the feathers of the 

 crown and occiput entirely pale buff (instead of partly this 

 colour and partly white), and almost obsolete. 



There are other minor differences, but perhaps not equally 

 constant, such as in the males the absolutely uniform lower 

 tail-coverts, the colour of the tibial plumes, &c. 



I am doubtful about giving them specific rank ; those who 

 decide to do so should call them Francolinus melanonotus, the 

 Black-backed Francolin. 



They do not differ in size from the common Black Partridge. 

 The following are the exact dimensions of one pair of the 

 Manipur birds : — 



Length. Expanse. Tail, Wing. Tarsus. Bill from gape. Weight. 



$ ... 14-7 20-0 3 85 5 9 205 1-18 lib. 2 ozs. 



i> ... 140 18-3 3-8 5-5 17 I'08 14. „ 



Male. — Legs and feet dull fleshy orange ; claws brown ; bill 

 black; irides hazel. 



Female. — Legs and feet pale reddish orange ; claws brown ; 

 upper mandible and tip of lower mandible dark brown ; rest of 

 lower mandible, gape and edges of upper mandible, except 

 at top, pale fleshy brown ; irides brown. 



This species, and as far as my specimens go this black 

 backed form of it, is generally distributed in all suitable 

 Jocalities throughout Sylhet, Cachar, the Garo and Khasi 

 hills, and the Assam valley as far east as the western por- 

 tions of Lakhimpar, but it is believed not to extend further 

 east up the valley at present,f nor have I heard of it in the 

 Naga hills. 



This species does not extend to British Burmah, in one 

 small portion of which, i.e., in the valley of the Irrawaddy 

 from Prorae northwards, it is replaced by F. chinensis, which 

 is also very common in Karenee, 



From Cachar and other localities we have 823, — Ortygornis 

 gnlaris, Tem. This does not occur in Manipur unless possibly 

 in the Jhiri valley, but it occurs throughout the low country 

 of Assam to Sadiya (and even beyond this), Sylhet and Cachar ; 

 as a rule it is confined, to the plains, but may be met with in 



* This though very marked in all fresh birds and in some good specimens 

 ia entirely lost in others, in which the necks have been pulled in. 



1 1 say at present, because as the Lakhimpuc and Dibrugarb. districts get 

 cleared it is sure to extend to these. 



39 



