388 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL SIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIII. 



in various parts in India. A careful study of this material has led 

 me to the conclusion that there are four well-marked sub-species of 

 Bustard Quail of the species originally described as pugnax by 

 Temminck from Java, a bird which cannot be distinguished from 

 that found in Ceylon. 



Beginning at the extreme east of the range of this species, we get 

 a bird whose whole upper surface is very richly marked with large 

 bold bars of black with a considerable amount of deep rufous 

 colouration in between the bars. It must be remarked also that this 

 rufous is not the same tint as that of the birds of Southern and 

 Western India, but is deeper and redder, thus giving a vevj hand- 

 some appearance to the upper plumage. 



As regards size, the bird of this form is about the same as that 

 from Malay and Burmah, the females have a wing averaging about 

 3-45" (=87-6mm.) and the males about 3-10" (=78-6mm.). The 

 largest female has a wing of 3'56" (=91*2mm,) and the smallest 

 one of 3-32" (=84-4mm.). 



This race extends from Formosa, through Southern and Western 

 China by the Hill Eanges into the Shan States, and also into the 

 Chin Hills further South, whence there are several typical birds of 

 this race in the British Museum from Karen Nee. 



This race should bear the name Ttimix jpugnax atroqularis, Eyton 

 (1839). 



Leaving the extreme East of the range, we find another race 

 much the same in size, and quite as dark in general colouration ; 

 biit almost entirely wanting the rich rufous on the upper parts, and 

 also less boldly and richly marked with black. 



The dimensions of this sub-species are as follows : the smallest 

 birds being found in Southern Burmah, and the largest in Sikkim 

 and Nepal. In the Federated Malay States a huge series of birds 

 show an average wing measurement for females of 3*50" (=89*7mm. 

 and for the males of 3-13" (=79. 5mm.) ; from Burmah they average 

 respectively 3-40" (=86-4mm.) and 3-09 (==78-5mm.), and from 

 North-East India they rise again to 3-51" (=89-9mm..) and 3-24" 

 (=82-3mm.), the average of the females being reduced by two or 

 three small immature birds. 



This sub-species is found throughout the Federated Malay States 

 and Siam, the Plains of Burmah and Northwards from Arakan, 

 through Ohittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, Comilla, 

 Assam, Cooch Behar, the Dooars of North-East Bengal and thence 

 into Sikkim and the Hills of Nepal. Southwards it is found 

 throughout the Surma Valley, Mymensingh, Dina,]'pore, Jalpai- 

 goori, the Darjeeling District and all along the Sub-Himalayan Terai 

 as far West as Bettiah. In the extreme West of its range in 

 Nepal the birds have a certain amount of rufous on their upper 

 plumage, as would be espected, from the comparatively dryness of 



