THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 221 



1-0 ; bill from gape 0-58 to -07. Weight 6 to 7-5 ozs." (Hume.) 



Jerdon gives the weight of the male as from 7 ozs. to 8 ozs. 



Variation in the colour of individual adult males consists princi- 

 pally in the depth and tone of the tinting of the upper siirface. 

 This in some birds is deeper and more reddish and in other birds 

 paler and more buff. There is also considerable difference in the 

 grey markings on the scapulars, etc., in some there being quite a 

 french, or slate grey, in thfe centre of the bars, whereas in others ' 

 the centre of the bar is almost concolourous with the margins. 



Adult female. — Whole crown as in the male but the forehead 

 without the black and white bars ; nape more yellow buff and 

 with the spots smaller than those on the head ; whole remaining 

 upper surface a reddish or chestnut buff, paling to ochreous buff 

 on the rectrices and marked throughout with very deep brown or 

 black bars, those on the tail being broadest ; scapulars and inner- 

 most secondaries broadly tipped with pale yellow-buff, winglet, 

 primaries, primary coverts and outer secondaries, as in the male, 

 brown ; inner secondaries like the back but with broader bars and 

 often with a vinous tint on the outer webs ; lores and sides of the 

 head fawn with black striae ; chin and upper throat fawn-buff, 

 immaculate in old birds, finely spotted in young ones ; whole lower 

 surface barred buff and deep brown, the buff bars becoming more or 

 less white on the abdomen, where the brown bars deepen to black. 



Females of this species vary almost more than the males and the 

 difference in tint on the back is very great, varying from a rich, 

 almost rufous bay, which, however, is very rare, to a pale sandy buff 

 which is very common. The colours of the lower parts vary less, 

 but birds are sometimes met with which have the breast bars almost 

 white, the buff tint being quite faint and irregularly distributed. 



The colours of the soft parts do not differ from corresponding- 

 parts in the male. 



Wing 6-0" to 6-9" averaging 6-55"; bill at front -47" to -56" 

 averaging '51"; tarsus -SS" to '9 8" with an average of about -94". 



Hume gives the measurements as follows : — " Length 10 to 10-5 ; 

 expanse 19-5 to 20-5; tail from vent 3-25 to 3-75; tarsus 0*88 

 to 1-0 ; bill from gape 0-55 to 0*6 ; weight 6-38 to 6-75 ozs." 



It will be seen, therefore, that Hume's measurements practically 

 agree with mine and show that, age for age, males are a trifle big- 

 ger and heavier than females. 



Yotmg male. — The young bird acquires the plumage of the 

 adult first on the wings and upper plumage, but this is much broken 

 up with dark brown vermiculations ; the tips of the quills and 

 sometimes the inner portions of the inner webs are marked with 

 pale buff vermiculations and the plumage of the upper back, hind 

 neck and head are more like that of the female but these parts also 

 are everywhere profusely vermiculated. On the under surface the 



