THE .GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, 5 



from gape about 24 mm. Nearly all females have some sio-us of 

 spurs, many have a well developed spur on one or both legs, and a 

 few have two spurs on one leg and one on the other, and occasion- 

 ally have two on both legs. 



The Youwj Male is like the female, but is more richly and deeply 

 coloured, with more black in proportion to the buff and rufous. 



The Yoicng Male in first xjlwrtiage is like the female, but more 

 dark and rich in general tint, and the tail is deep chestnut with 

 definite bars of black. 



Distribution. — The Red Spur-Fowl is found over a verj^ wide 

 area, although it is rather scattered in its distribution. It is found 

 in the Terai below the Central Himalayas in Western Nepal to 

 Goruckpur ; it is common in practicall}^ all the well-wooded hill 

 ranges throughout Central India from Saugor to Rajmahal and Nya 

 Dumkah, though it appears to have now practically disappeared from 

 the latter district. South of this it is found in suitable localities in 

 Central India, Orissa and Madras wherever there are broken hills 

 well covered with forests or bamboo jungle. Birds from Mysore 

 and North-East Coimbatore are of the typical race, and this extends 

 at least as far South-East as the Palni Hills, latitude 10*^. 



In South-East Bengal it is undoubtedly becoming more rare. In 

 1883 when stationed in the Santhal Parganas it formed a not very 

 rare item in our miscellaneous bags, but I hear that now it is never 

 seen ; in Madras, however, where it is to some extent preserved, it 

 appears to be steadily increasing in numbers, and it is very 

 common on all the Hill Ranges from the foot hills to 4,000 feet 

 or more. 



It extends into the Bombay Presidency South of Rajputana and 

 the Mahableshwar birds referred to by Blanford are far nearer true 

 spadicea than to caiirina. 



On the Malabar Coast North of Travancore specimens appear to 

 assume a somewhat richer colour, and three specimens procured 

 there by Chapman and now in the British Museum series are about 

 half-way in depth of colouring between sjiaclicea and stetvarti, but 

 have not the bright tint of the latter bird, so for the present I retain 

 them under the typical name. 



Nidification. — The breeding season of the Red Spur-Fowl varies 

 very greatly in different portions of its habitat, and even in single 

 areas is somewhat erratic. In the South and Central portion of its 

 habitat its eggs may be taken any time from February to June, 

 March being, perhaps the month in which most are found. It has 

 generally been credited with having a second brood in September 

 to November, but I can trace no grounds for this, and such an 

 occurrence must be quite exceptional. 



It breeds from the foot hills at all heights up to 5,000 feet, and 

 sometimes in the Southern Hill Ranges up to 6,000 feet or more. 



