Letters, Extracts from Correspondence, Notices, ^c. 351 



when passing through Swatow, Mr. Caine showed me the skin 

 of one of the same species, and said that, among the large 

 number of Quail seen by him this winter (for they have been 

 unusually abundant this year), he had only observed one pair 

 of these, which he procured by a right-and-left shot. They 

 looked as large as Common Quail (Cotwnix communis) when on 

 the wing, and had a very similar flight. In the striation of 

 the breast and the bright yellow legs they were very like a 

 Turnix, but they were nevertheless true Quails. The only de- 

 scribed bird this species might be is Cofurmix coromandelica 

 (Gmelin), C. textilis, Temminck. I can, however, neither re- 

 concile the figure nor the description of that in the ' Cabinet of 

 Natural History ' with our species ; I shall therefore bring it 

 forward provisionally as 



COTURNIX CAINEANA, Sp. nOV. 



C. fere turniciformis, supra saturatior, facie gulaque rubris, 

 pectore cum lateribus fulvis transversim nigro-striatis, ventre 

 albido, axillariis niveis, remigibus fuscis ochreo-marginatis, 

 rostro nigro, pedibus aurantiacis. 



Upper plumage Quail-like, but of a deeper brown, the me- 

 dian stripes on the rump being broad. Quills light hair- 

 brown, narrowly edged with ochreous. Face and throat brick- 

 dust red. Breast and flanks light buff, with transverse blackish - 

 brown bars. Vent deeper coloured ; belly dingy white ; axil- 

 laries pure white. Bill blackish brown, wdth pale tip and 

 tomia. Inside of mouth ochreous. Legs orange-yellow, with 

 a little brown on the claws. Iris hazel. 



Length 5*25 inches ; wing 2'9 inches ; tail soft, and scarcely 

 distinguishable. Tarsi 0'85 inch, middle toe and claw 0*75 inch. 

 Outer claw rather longer than the inner. 



This description is taken from a fresh Hong Kong female 

 specimen. The surviving Hong Kong male bird and the Swa- 

 tow skin are each rather larger, with a longer and stronger 

 bill and rather stouter legs. The last specimen has the wing 

 3 inches long, the transverse bars on the lower parts broader, 

 and the throat whiter. It is in other respects similar to the 

 Hong Kong female. 



