THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA. 207 



B. 1., p. 106 (1895) (part); Gates, Man. Game-B. I., p. 160 (1898) (part); 

 Blanf., Fauna., B. I. Aves. IV., p. 137 (1898) ; Butler, Jour. B. N. H. S. X., 

 p. 312 (1896) (Ceylon) ; Davidson, ibid, XII., p. 64 (Kanara) ; Gates, Cat! 

 Egg. B. M. I., p. 37 (1901) (part). 



VERNACULAR iV\4J/^.— Kakera Kodi (Tehgu). 



Description — Adult Male. — Crown black with narrow rufous-buff 

 margins to the feathers ; forehead, supercilia and sides of the head 

 ferruginous red; nape and neck like the crown but with the buff mar- 

 gins wider and more conspicuous ; upper back blackish with oval 

 whitespots; wing-coverts blackish brown with buff spots and scajDu- 

 lars the same, but with rufous buff margins. Wing-quills and 

 greater coverts brown with rufous buff bars, broken on the 

 primaries, complete on the inner secondaries on which the brown is 

 almost as dark as on the scapulars. Lower back, rump, upper tail- 

 coverts and central tail feathers black with narrow bars of white, 

 the latter sometimes more or less tinged with buff ; outer tail 

 feathers more or less black on the terminal third. 



Below, chin white or rufous, more or less marked on the sides 

 with tiny black specks, sometimes forming a line from the corner 

 of the lower mandible ; foreneck darker rufous, more boldly streak- 

 ed with black ; breast and flanks black with large white drops 

 increasing in size towards the lower breast and posterior flanks ; 

 centre of abdomen and vent dull pale rufous brown, more or less 

 tipped with dirty whitish ; under tail-coverts chestnut. 



Colours of the Soft Parts. — Irides dark brown ; legs reddish or 

 yellowish brown ; bill dark brown to black, the tip always black- 

 ish, the base and gape paler or horny white. 



Measurements. — Length about a foot, wing 132 to 148 mm., ave- 

 rage of 30 specimens 138'5 mm., tail from 66 to 89 mm., generally 

 about 80 mm.; bill from front about 26 mm. ; tarsus about 40 mm. 



The spurs are rudimentary or absent. 



Weight " 8*5 to 12*7 ozs." Hume. This is apparently for both 

 sexes. 



Adult Female. — Like the male, but with the lower back, rump, 

 upper tail-coverts and tail dull pale brown with narrow bars of 

 white bordered with darker brown. The throat is generally white, 

 and the markings on the flanks and lower breast generally form 

 black arrow head shaped central bars on a pale buffy brown. 



Colours of the Soft Poiis. — As in the male, but duller, the legs are 

 never as red in the reddest legged males, and are rarely even a dull 

 horny brown ; the bill is brown rather than black, and with a greater 

 depth of whitish at the base. 



Measurements .—ThevQ seems to be no difference in size between 

 the males and females, though the latter probably weigh distinctly 

 less on an aveuage. I can find no recorded weights. 



