THE GAME BIMDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 18b 



In some specimens the orbital skin has a tinge of green, though 

 this is rare, and in some it is a pure pale lemon. 



Dimensions. — Males — Length 13-4 to 14-7 ; expanse 23 to 23-7 ; 

 tail from vent 5-3 to 6-0 ; wing 7-5 to 7-9 ; the wings when closed 

 reach to within 2*3 to 2-8 of the end of the longest tail feathers, 

 viz., the central ones, which exceed the others by from 1-75 to 2-0; 

 bill at front 0-44 to 0-47 ; tarsus 1-0 to 1-05. Weight 9 to 12 ozs. 

 (Hume.) 



My measurements which include those of all the skins in the 

 British Museum average a little larger than Hume's do. Wing 

 7-50" (192-2 mm.) to 8-20" (209-6 mm.) with an average ol 

 7-84" (200-8 mm.); tarsus -90" (22-8 mm.) to 1-0" (25-4" 

 mm.) with an average of -93" full (23-6 mm.) and bill at front 

 -45" (11-5 mm.) to -50" (12-6 mm.) and averaging about 

 •48" or a little over 12-2 mm.) The tail is anything from 

 5-0" 127-0" (127-0 mm.) to about 6-6" (167-Omm.) or over. 



Adult female. — Whole upper plumage, including wing coverts, 

 scapulars and innermost secondaries isabeliine of a darker, redder 

 tint than in the male ; the head is marked with fine central marks 

 of black or dark brown, which from streaks, the rest of the upper 

 parts are boldly spotted with dark brown, or black, the spots being 

 boldest and largest and often tinged with grey on the scapulars and 

 innermost secondaries, which feathers also have broad marks of 

 chrome yellow at the tips on the outer webs. Lores and a faint 

 mark of white round the eye and thence backwards takes the place 

 of the grey in the male, but is finely marked with black and stops 

 short of the nape. Remainder of under parts like the male 

 but paler and less pink or vinaceous, and with the central of 

 the abdomen more decidedly brown. The wing quills are the same 

 as in the male and the tail also is similarly coloured. On the upper 

 plumage the colour ranges from sandy isabeliine to a rufus or vinons 

 isabeliine, extremes of either colour being decidedly rare. In many 

 birds the yellow splashes on the scapulars are very faint, and in a 

 few altogether absent. In a good many birds the buff below is 

 almost white and is seldom at all rich ; the yellow throat also is 

 often very pale and the amount of spotting on the throat and breast 

 is by no means constant, being very sparse on the lower breast in 

 some specimens. 



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

 Dimensions. — Females: — Length 12-4 to 13-1 ; expanse 22-0 to 

 22-6; tail from vent 4 to 4-6 ; the central tail feathers only extend- 

 ing from 0-75 to 1-2 beyond the rest ; wing 7-3 to 7-5 ; bill at front 

 0-4 to 0-44. Weight 8 to 9 oz. (Hume.) 



Wing 6-96" (176-7mm.) to 7-75" (196-7 mm.) with an average 

 of 7-35" (186-5 mm.). 



From the above it will be seen that I make the difference between 



