THE STUBBLE QUAIL 15 



coloration of the head and neck is not so bright, and she has no wattle. 

 During the breeding saason the wattle of the male is 1% inches long. 

 Total length of adult male 29 inches, wing 16, leg 11 inches. 



Nesting mound and eggs similar to that of C. lathami, and 



the habits of the birds are ahnost identical. The eggs are 



slightly smaller at one end, pure white, finely granulated and 

 measure 3.61 x 2.36 inches 



Family Phasianidce. 



Hallux above the level of the front toes. Nostril never 

 hidden by feathers. 



Genus Coturnix. 

 Tail with 10-12 feathers. Axillaries long and pure white. 



The Stubble Quail. 



Coturnix pectoralis. -, 



Australia and Tasmania. The birds are usually found in the open 

 country, where the coarse grass gives them sufieient shelter. In a good 

 season they even come into the gardens of the suburbs of Melbourne 

 and Sydney. They generally nest each year in the hay-crop of the 

 Melbourne Zoo. They breed two or three times a year when the seasons 

 are favourable, and will commence to lay when six months old. 



The adult male has the top of the head and back of the neck dark 

 brown, the sides of the head, throat and forepart of neck reddish-buflE, a 

 black mark in the middle of the chest, the feathers of the chest and belly 

 white with a black stripe down the shaft. Over each eye two parallel 

 lines of yellowish-white. Bill black. Length 7 inches, wing 4.1, tail 1.5, 

 tarsus 9. The female very similar, but with no black mark on the chest. 



Nest and eggs usually in a crop, or amongst coarse 

 herbage, the nest being lined with grass or straw. The clutch 

 is from six to twelve, the eggs are strong, rather glassy in 

 appearance of a dark yellowish colour, heavily blotched and 

 flecked with dark greenish-brown. They measure from 1.17 

 X .86 to 1.28 X .92 inch. 



