BIRDS OF TASMANIA. 107 



BKOWN QUAIL 



{Synceous australis, Temm.) 



Male. — Forehead and throat greyish- white tinged with bufi; 

 all the upper surface irregularly marked with grey, black, and 

 chestnut, each feather with a distinct narrow white stripe down 

 the shaft; wings marked with obscure lines of grey, brown, and 

 black; all the under surface buSy-grey ("pale rufous-buff"- — 

 Hall), each feather having numerous zig-zag markings of black, 

 and many with a fine stripe of white down the centre ; bill blackish- 

 brown; legs and feet flesh-colour. Dimensions in mm. : — Length, 

 205 ; bill, 15 ; wing, 106 ; tail, 48 ; tarsus, 24. 



Female. — " Differs from male in having the black markings 

 and patch on the upper and under parts much coarser; the centres 

 of the featliers are not grey, and the shaft-stripes, which are much 

 wider than in the male, are pale buff " (B. M. Cat.) 



Young. — Closely resembles adult female. 



(According to Mr. W. E. Ogilvie-Grant, the old males are 

 nearly uniform in colour, the cross bars and shafts almost entirely 

 disappearing.) 



Nest. — -A variety of situations are chosen by different birds; 

 they vary from, in the centre or under tTie shelter of a clump 

 of tussock-grass or rushes to a fiu'row in a green paddock. The 

 nest itself is a flimsy structure of grass and leaves. 



Eggs. — Clutch seven to eleven; roundish, but sharply com- 

 pressed at one end-;- somewhat coarse in texture ; surface glossy ; 

 colour dull to bluish white, finely freckled with olive or light 

 brown. Dimensions in mm. of a small clutch : — (1) 32 x 23, (2) 

 34 X 24, (3) 33 x 28, (4) 34 x 23, (5) 31 x 22, (6) 31 x 23, (7) 33 x 

 24. 



Breeding Season. — November to January. 



Geogra-phical Distribution. — Tasmania, including many of the 

 Bass Strait islands, Australia in general, and New Guinea. 



Observations. — Shooting begins 1st May, ends 30th June. 

 Among sportsmen there is a diversity of opinion as to whether 

 this species or the Stubble Quail is the better sporting bird. The 

 Brown Quail rises quickly and speeds on a strong wing in a 

 fairly straight line, offering a good mark to a quick, straight shot. 



Moist grassy flats and swampy localities are mostly favoured, 

 but it may also be found among ' ' root ' ' crops and in situations 

 favoured by the Stubble Quail. The stomachs of a number of 

 birds of the species under discussion were examined and found 

 to contain grass in |-inch lengths and dock seeds. Some few- 

 years since an effort was made by a number of sportsmen to 

 have Quail in general totally protected for at least a couple of 

 seasons, for it was argued that the birds were becoming woefully 

 scarce. Nothing came of the agitation, however, several sports- 



