THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 13 



the orbital skin pale lemon yellow to pale yellowish green. " 

 (Hume). 



Adult female. — Whole of tipper plumage rather dull buff, some- 

 times sandy buff, sometime vinaceous and sometimes with here and 

 there a slightly rufescent tinge ; the feathers of the crown and nape 

 are marked with central longitiidinal spots of dark brown which 

 form regular streaks, on the hind neck, the spots widen into blotches 

 and on the upper back become broad bars, the centre wider and 

 pointed ; the feathers of the rest of the upper parts are barred ; 

 scapulars, innermost secondaries and lesser and median coverts like 

 the back but the feathers broadly tipped with buff and some of the 

 coverts very finely edged with reddish brown ; remainder of wing 

 like the male but with fewer reddish bars on the median coverts. 

 Chin, lores, supercilia, sides of the head and throat yellow ochre, the 

 sides of the head speckled with blackish brown, these spots increas- 

 ing in size on the neck and breast which is like the back, but 

 generally with a stronger vinaceous tint ; the chin and throat are 

 immaculate in old birds, but the ear coverts have fine black hair 

 marks. Most females have a faint indication of a very dark brown 

 line separating the upper breast from the lower, which is a dull pale 

 ochre-bufi"; abdomen, flanks and feathers of vent rtifous buff closely 

 barred with very dark brown, under tail coverts creamy buif. 

 Tail feathers like those of the male ; axillaries and under aspect of 

 wing brown, the smaller coverts and shoulder barred with dull bufi*. 



As already shewn above the birds grade in general tone from a 

 sandy buff to a dull vinaceotis buff above and on the under pltimage 

 they vary to much the same extent. The upper breast may be 

 quite a dull, almost brown tint, whilst other birds are here quite 

 a pale sandy buff; most birds will, however, be found intermediate. 

 The light unspotted lower breast also varies in some degree, though 

 not as much, I think, as the upper breast, and the abdomen and 

 flanks also go through the same gradations of colours ; but Western 

 birds appear to be invariably darker than our Indian birds on these 

 parts, although they seem no more richly colotired above. The 

 colour of the throat and chin varies from very pale cream yellow to 

 quite a rich, though light, chrome yellow." 



^'Females. — Length 11 to 12-25; expanse 20-9 to 21-5; wing 

 6-6 to 6-9 ; tail from vent 4*0 to 4i-8 ; tarsus 0-8 to 0-85 ; tail from 

 gape 0-6 to 0-67; weight 7-5 to 8'3 ozs." (Hume.) 



The average wing measurements of about 100 females is 6* 85" 

 ( 182*5 mm.) The extremes of length were, however, far greater 

 than in Hume's series, ranging from 6-35" to 7.05" (170-5 to 

 187-5 mm.). 



The colours of the soft parts are the same as in the male. 



An immature female differs from the adult in having the outer 

 primaries and inner secondaries tipped with buff, the former 



