404 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATVRAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXIIl, 



be a bright, but rather pale riifescent red. The pale fulvous edges, 

 to the feathers of the back, scaptdars, etc., are larger and paler,, 

 increasing the pale effect of the plumage, and the under parts are 

 generally very much paler. The black spots on the wing coverts,, 

 though smaller, are more in the nature of bars than they are in 

 either of the other three sub-species. 



In birds from the neighbourhood of Calcutta, the rufous tint is. 

 replaced by a beautiful pale isabelline, the general tone being even 

 paler still ; the birds from Western Bengal are intermediate between 

 the two. 



Colours of the soft parts. — As in pucfwix. 



Measurements. — The Common Bustard Quail follows the general 

 avian rule in being smaller than its more Northern and Eastern 

 representatives . 



The British Museum series — a large one — give an average wing- 

 measurement for females of just 3-25" (^= 82-5 mm.), but the 

 average is raised by the comparatively large size of some of the 

 Calcutta birds, which average 3-32" (=84-3 mm.). 



Adult male. — Differs from the female much in the same way and 

 degree as does that of the other sub-species. 



Measurements. — The male, as usual, is decidedly smaller than the 

 female, the Calcutta males average for the wing 3-03" (= 77 mm.),. 

 and the others from the Peninsular of India 2-93" (= 74-4 mm.). 

 Hume's measurements for this form agree with mine in so far as 

 they make the male out to be smaller than the female, but his wing 

 dimensions greatly exceed mine, 



" Females— Leng-th, 6-12" to 6-7"; expanse, 11-75" to 

 12-75"; wing, 3-4" to 3-7"; tail from vent, 1-0" to 1-4" j 

 tarsus, 6-95" to 1-12" ■ bill from gape, 0-7" to 0-81"; weight, 

 1-5 to 2-56 oz." 



" Males— Length, 5-6" to 6-25"; expanse, 10-75" to 11-7";, 

 wing, 2-85" to 3-1"; tail from vent, 0-9" to 1-2"; bill from 

 gape, 0-6" to 0-72"; weight, 1-5 to 1-9 oz." 



From the above it will be seen that Hume makes out taijoor to 

 be as big a bird as pugnax, but it is rather difficult to say what 

 Hume exactly included in the two sub-species so that for matters of 

 comparison his figures are not of much value, though they are, 

 otherwise, of the greatest interest. 



It will be seen from what I have written above that birds from 

 South-Eastern Bengal are larger than elsewhere, and are also dis- 

 tinguished by the curious isabelline tint of their plumage. There 

 is not at present much material from this part of India to work on, 

 but if further material, when obtained, corroborates what is now 

 known, the bird will require to be separated subspecifically and 

 given a new name, as there does not seem to be one at present 

 applicable to it. 



