71 [Vol. xiii. 



Tardus merula merula, Turdus merula Cabrera, and Tardus 

 merula mauritanicus recently described by him in his 

 accounts of his travels, as well as examples of the continental 

 and the British Robin, to show the differences between 

 Erithacus rubecula rubecula and Erithacus rubecula 

 melophilus. 



A discussion ensued, in which Mr. Elwes, Mr. Meade- 

 Waldo, Mr. Lort Phillips, Mr. Hartert, Mr. Butterfield, and 

 others took part. 



Mr. D. Seth-Smith exhibited some specimens of the 

 nestlings of Turnix and Excalfactoria, and made the following 

 remarks : — 



" The nesting-habits of the Hemipodes, or Bustard-Quails, 

 being particularly interesting, I thought the members might 

 like to hear that the young of the Indian Bustard-Quail 

 ( Turnix tanki) had lately been hatched in my aviary. 



" Turnix tanki has only been imported alive to England on 

 two or three occasions, so far as I am aware. The Zoological 

 Society has only once possessed specimens, a pair having 

 been presented by Mr. Harper, of Calcutta, in 1901, which 

 lived only a few months. 



" I was so fortunate as to secure three living specimens — 

 a male and two females — in October last, and have noticed 

 one or two very interesting points about the species. 



" Mr. Ogilvie-Grant, in his monograph of the genus 

 Turnix, published in the 'Ibis - ' of 1889 (pp. 446-475), in 

 comparing the different species, says that ' the black throats, 

 the rufous nuchal collars, and such-like marks, which dis- 

 tinguish the adult females in the different groups, are not 

 seasonal or nuptial plumages, as supposed by some authors, 

 but denote maturity, and are to be found at all seasons in 

 fully adult females/ 



" Now in Turnix tanki the rufous collar is a very con- 

 spicuous feature of the adult female, and my two birds, when 

 obtained early in October, were in full plumage, with this 

 characteristic adornment well developed. In November, 

 however, they moulted, and completely lost the rufous 

 collar, and the sexes could then be only distinguished by 



