804 Asiatic Society. [No. 128. 



already noticed, very much broader than in the others, whence this sex may always 

 be readily distinguished, which is not the case with the females in every instance, 

 even by referring to the thickness of the bill, which presents a much less marked 

 distinctive character than in the male. Length about six inches, of wing three 

 inches and three-eighths, or generally under three inches and a quarter in the 

 female; bill to forehead (through the feathers) five-eighths; and tarse an inch, 

 middle toe and claw seven-eighths of an inch. It is evidently very common in the 

 neighbourhood of Singapore, and occurs in the Tenasserim provinces. 



4. T. Dussumieri, 'Bengal Sporting Magazine,' October, 1836, pi. I, fig. 5; 

 Hemipodius variabilis, Hodgson, Ibid. May 1837, p. 345; Button Quail of sports- 

 men. This is the most abundant species of India generally, including Bengal, and 

 it extends northward into Nepal, where it is also numerous; but I have not yet seen it 

 from the eastern side of the Bay. Its length is five inches and a half, with wing 

 two inches and three-quarters; bill slender, and half an inch to forehead through 

 the feathers; tarse three-quarters of an inch, and middle toe and claw five-eighths 

 of an inch. Throat whitish in both sexes, flanked with a few transverse dusky 

 specks ; and middle of the breast of the same fulvescent hue as the belly of the others, 

 more or less deep: the colour of the upper-parts most nearly resembles that of 

 T. pugnax, but the black is rather more predominant, especially on the rump which is 

 chiefly of this hue; the belly is whitish; and the wings marked differently from 

 those of the three preceding species, having a whitish ground-tint, upon which 

 each feather shews a large rufous spot, containing a smaller black one externally ; and 

 these spots being longitudinal instead of transverse. 



The following oriental species have also been described, and it will aid the student 

 to give detailed notices of them. 



5. T. nigrifrons ; H. nigrifrons, Tern. " Six inches in length, having the fore- 

 head ornamented with three broad bands; the first of which is formed of small white 

 feathers, arising from the base of the beak to the nostrils ; the second, which is twice 

 as broad as the first, is deep black; and the third, which extends beyond the eyes, 

 pure white : the top of the head is of a fine red, with delicate black stripes in the 

 middle of the feathers; the nape is slightly tinged with bright olive; the back, 

 rump, and upper tail-coverts are of a reddish-yellow, tinged with black and fawn- 

 colour ; the lesser and middle wing-coverts are yellowish, each feather having a small 

 black spot towards its tip; the secondaries and greater quills are grey; the throat 

 bright reddish-yellow ; neck and breast the same, having all the feathers sprinkled 

 with semicircular black spots ; belly and thighs pure white : bill red ; and feet reddish, 

 the claws black. Said to be a native of India, and described by Temminck from 

 a single specimen in the Paris Museum." Stephens, in Shaw's Zoology. 



6. T. maculosus; H. maculosus, Tern. This is an Australian species, but is 

 stated in Griffith's work also to inhabit India, upon the authority of Gen. Hardwicke ; 

 and I make no doubt that the Indian bird here referred to is the same as that 

 figured, together with another little known species, as two different Bustard Quails 

 of sportsmen (both of them differing also from the preceding species of this genus), 

 in the ' Bengal Sporting Magazine' for March, 1838, the present being represented 

 as fig. 2 of the plate. The following is Stephens's description of the O. maculosus 

 of Australia, in the Appendix to Shaw's ' Zoology.' " Distinguished by its very short 



