2 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XX2V. 



The body feathers always possess an after-shaft ; the spinal feather 

 tract is well defined on the neck, and continues straight down the 

 back.. Except in Agusianus an oil-gland is present in every genus. 

 The deep plantar tendons are connected by a fibrous vinculum but 

 divide again, the flexor loerforans digitorum to supply the three front 

 toes, and the flaxor longiis hallucis the hallux. The ambiens muscle, 

 accessory femoro caudal, semitendinosus, accessory semitendinosus 

 are always present, and the femoro-caudalin all but the Peafowl and 

 Turkeys. The palate is schizognathous, the nasals holorhinal. 



" True basipterygoid processes are wanting, but there are sessile 

 facets situated far forward on the spenoidal rostrum. Cervical vertibrse 

 16. The sternum has two deep incisions on the posterior border on each 

 side of the keel ; the inner xiphoid process between the two is shorter 

 than the outer which is bent over the inner ribs, and expanded at the 

 end. The episternal process of the rostrum is completely perforated to 

 receive the inner ends of the caracoids." (Blanford.) 

 The Order Gallince contains two sub-orders, both of which are 

 represented in India, the Feristoro'podes and the Alectoropodes. 



Key to Sub-Orders. 



Inner notch of sternum less than half the length 

 of the entire sternum. Hallux and anterior 

 digits on the same level ... ... ... Peristoropodes. 



Inner notch of sternum more than half the ^ 



length of the entire sternum. Hallux raised 

 above level of anterior digits ... ... Alledoropodes. 



In the Sub-Order Peristoropodes, Ogilvie-Grant includes two 

 families, the Megapodiidce and the Cracidoe, the first containing our 

 Megapodes, and the second the South American Ourassows, but 

 Sliarpe in his Hand-List elevates both these families to be sub- 

 orders and designates them Megapodii, and Graces. In the latter 

 family, however, we in India have no interest. 



The family Megapodiidce as defined by Ogilvie-Grant, contains 

 seven genera of which only one, Megapodius, occurs within Indian 

 limits. This genus contains 15 species according to Ogilvie-Grant, 

 and 17 in Sharpe's Hand-List, two species, affinis and senex, being 

 added by him. Of these 17 species one, Megapodius nicohariensis , 

 is found in the Nicobars and so comes into our Indian avifauna. 



MEGAruDirS NICOBAKIEXSIS. 



The Nicohar Megapod^e or Mound Bird. 



Megapodius nicohariensis . — Blvth, J. A. S. B., xv., pp. 52, 373, 

 (1846); itZ., Cat. Mus. As. Soc.;p.'239; Ball, J. A. S. B., xxxix, 

 pt. 2, p. 32; id., Str. Featli., i., p. 82; Hume, ibid, p. 313; id., 

 ibid, ii., pp. 276, 499; id.. Cat. No. 803, Oct. ; Hume and Marsh., 

 Game B., i., p. 119; iii., p. 428; Oates in Hume's "Nests and 



