240 FRANCOL1N. 



was, but, singularly enough, the description, which is 

 by Brehm, falls into the error of describing what the 

 plate does not exhibit, namely, that the egg is larger 

 than that of the Red-leg or French Partridge. In 

 the absence of an authentic specimen, I give a copy 

 of Badeker's figure of this egg. 



The male has the top of the head and nape a 

 light rufous, with longitudinal stripes of black; forehead 

 and sides of the head, with the exception of a large 

 oval patch of white extending from the eyes backwards, 

 black. The dark rufous collar of the neck having 

 some of its feathers tipped with an oval black spot 

 with white edges, and a broader band of black feathers 

 marked conspicuously with pure white round spots, 

 occupy the upper part of the back; below these 

 bands the scapularies are well marked out with dark 

 brown feathers, broadly edged with light rufous; the 

 rest of the back, upper tail coverts, and tail feathers, 

 most delicately pencilled with transverse zigzag lines of 

 black and white. The upper wing coverts are marked 

 out like the scapularies, while the long tertials are richly 

 marked with light rufous transverse bands, on a black 

 brown ground, the rufous more distinct on the outer 

 webs. The primaries and secondaries rich rufous, with 

 transverse bands or spots of dusky brown, more or 

 less distinct. The throat and breast are pitchy black, 

 separated by the rich dark rufous collar round the 

 neck; the sides of the chest and all the lower part 

 of the abdomen black, with oval white spots, which 

 become larger on the flanks and shaded with rufous; 

 bottom of abdomen light red, edged with white, while 

 the rich rufous of the neck is repeated on the feathers 

 of the under tail coverts, which are also fringed with 

 white. The feathers on the thighs are barred with 



