THE GAME BIRDS OF INDIA, BURMA AND CEYLON. 393 



like the sides, instead of pure black. As a rule, the markings are 

 somewhat less bold in character, and the general appearanceis duller. 

 Colours of the soft jJart. — As in the female, but iris, more often 

 straw yellow. 



Dimensions. — Wing 3-05" (:=77-5mm), and other measurements 

 proportionately smaller than in the female. 



" Length 5-8" to 6-0" ; wing 3-0" to 3-1" ; tail '8" to 1-0"; 

 "middle toe and claw 0-80" ; bill to gape -67"." (Legge). 

 Young females orAj differ from the adult in having chin, throat 

 and upper breast like these parts in the male. 



Quite young birds of hoth sexes have the plumage similar to that 

 of the adult male, but the black on the upper parts is more plentiful, 

 though duller ; the secondaries are more marked and freckled with 

 buff or rufous, and the primaries are, perhaps, also rather more 

 widely margined with the same. The breast is spotted with large 

 drops of black which, sometimes, are rather arrow head in appear- 

 ance, or sometimes become broadened into broken bars, bnt never 

 form complete bars as in the adult. The variations in tail follows 

 the same range as that of the old birds. 



The nestling when hatched is covered with pale whitish buff on 

 the lower parts, and dark chestnut buff above. There is a broad 

 white line from the lores, through the qjq to the nape, a dark 

 coronal streak, almost black, and there are pale buff and black 

 crescentic marks on the back ; the wings have a dark and a pale bar, 

 and the inside of the thighs are chestnut. 



Certain naturalists have claimed that the black throat of the 

 female is merely a seasonal change, and is lost after the breeding 

 season. When a bird has as variable a breeding season as the 

 Bustard Quail has, it is ver}^ difficult to assert that such is, or is not, 

 the case ; but the probabilities are all against it. The hen assumes 

 this black during the process of a moult, and possibly takes two 

 years before she fully acquires it, but birds iw&j be found in every 

 month of the year with this black fully developed. Hume obtained 

 black-throated females in every month but September and January, 

 and I have seen such specimens of this or the other sub-species in 

 these months also. 



Distrihutio7i. — Ceylon, Java, Sumatra and Billiton. 



Legge thus records its habitat within the Island of Ceylon : — 



" This Bustard Quail is scattered over most of the open 

 country in Ceylon, being more numerous in some localities 

 than in others. In the maritime districts of the Western 

 Province, including the seaboard from Manaar southwards 

 to Chilaw, and in suitable localities round the South- West 

 coast, it is perhaps more common than elsewhere. Again, 

 in portions of the Eastern Province where the ground is 

 sandy and covered with low bushes, it is numerous, as in the 

 2 



