THE GAME BIRDS OF IM)IA. 2g 



on chin and throat ; a broad black band on either side of the 

 crown and a black patch under the e3'e next the beak. 



Wings like the back; primaries light brown, mottled with buff on 

 the outer webs, the mottlings gradually increasing in depth of colour 

 and extent towards the innermost secondaries which are like the 

 back. 



Below a beautifiil pale, but bright, vinaceous brown, each feather 

 with a broad black central stripe and faint chestnut edgings ; flanks^ 

 and vent vermiculated with, brown and black. 



Colours of Soft Parts. — " Bill duskjr red, lower mandible brightest ; 

 legs dull red; e3'elids black, with a small white spot at the corners". 

 (Hutton.) 



Measurements. — Two females in the British Museum collection. 

 Wings, 88 and 93 mm. ; tails, 70 and 71 mm. ; tarsus and bill, not 

 different in size to that of the males. 



Young Male. — Judging from a specimen in the British Museum 

 collection, the young male must be somewhat like the female, as it 

 still retains a few buff and brown mottled wing-feathers and a certain 

 amount of mottling on the breast. 



Distribution. — As yet only known from ]\Iussoorie and Naini-Tal. 

 Nidification. — Unknown. 



General Habits. — The 10 specimens enumerated by Hume in 

 Gartw-Birr'- remain the only known specimens of this bird. The 

 original Sjcjclmens were a pair in the Knowslej^ Collection, and their 

 origin 'was unknown but supposed to be "from India". This was 

 in 1846. In 1865 Kenneth Mackinnon shot a pair near Mussoorie 

 in the month of November, and in the following year from Novem- 

 ber to June, 1868, there were several birds^ or covies of birds at 

 Jerepani at aboxit 5,500 feet elevation, and five specimens were 

 procared, and finalh- Major G. Carwithin shot one at Sher-ka-danda, 

 7,000 feet, near to Naini-Tal. Since then this bird has never been 

 seen again. Kenneth Mackinnon, writing to Hume about the birds 

 he sent, said : — 



"It was shot together with a second, also a male, out of a 

 "covey of 8 or 10 in grass jimgle on the southern face of 

 " Budraj. 



" I noticed that nearly half the birds, probably females, 

 "were brown, rather darker than the ordinary game brown. 

 " They were very difficult to flush, and, but for tho dogs, we 

 " could not have got them up. After being flushed they col- 

 " lected again at some distance with a shrill whistling unlike 

 " that of any of our other birds. Their flight was slow and 

 " heavy, and I should never have supposed them capable of 

 " migrating far. 



' ' I saw these birds frequently after this, and have frequently 

 " heard their whistling when out shooting near Mussorie. They 



