THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 261 



to Yarkand, p. 286 ; Prjev. In Rowley Orn. Misc., iii, p. 91 

 Hume Cat. 869; Scully, S. F., viii, p. 353; Hume and Marsh 

 Game B., iii, p. 333 ; Hume, S. F., ix, p. 283 ; Sculle} r , J. A. S 

 Bengal, lvi, p. 87 ; Hume, S. F., xi, p. 319 ; Fletcher, "Asian," Feb 

 1898; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 654 ; id Hand-list, Vol. i, p 

 166 ; Blanford, Avifauna B. I., iv, p. 290 ; Oates, Cat., Eggs, B. I., 

 ii, p. 64 ; id, Game B. of In., ii, p. 446 ; Finn, Indian Waders, 

 p. 142. 



Scolopax solitaria. — Seebohm. Charadriidae, p. 475. 



Vernacular names. — Bon chaha, Hindi ; Bharka, Nepal ; Simpoo, 

 Khasia ; Daodidap gophu, Cachari ; Boner kocha, Assamese. 



Description. — Adult male. — Crown black, spotted with rufous 

 and with a narrow white median band often much broken up with 

 brown. A broken supercilium narrowing behind the eye white, 

 more or less mixed with brown. Loral streak dark brown, more 

 or less mixed with rufous. Chin, sides of head and throat white, 

 speckled with dark brown and rufous, the centre of the throat 

 almost pure white. Neck all round rufous brown, much mixed 

 with white below, darker and less mixed with white above but 

 having also dark brown or black bars. Back and scapulars black 

 with numerous broken bars and spots of rufous and the scapulars 

 with broad white outer edges, in some cases tinged with rufous. 

 Lower back deep brown with whitish tips and bars, rump with 

 rufous spots, shorter tail coverts dark brown with rufous bars and 

 longer coverts almost uniform olive brown, rayed darker and with 

 white bars at the tips. Median tail feathers black, tipped whitish 

 and with a narrow black and a broad subterminal band of rufous ; 

 outer tail feathers irregularly barred black and white. Breast 

 brown, more or less speckled and spotted with white which forms 

 into broad bars where the breast and abdomen meet. Abdomen 

 white, faintly barred at the sides ; flanks, axillaries and underwing 

 coverts barred brown and white, the latter predominating. 

 Undertail coverts white, sometimes practically unmarked and 

 sometimes faintly barred with dusky brown and often with a faint 

 rufous tinge. 



Wing coverts brown, speckled with rufous next the scapulars 

 and elsewhere barred with rufous and black and tipped white ; 



