BUTTON QUAIL. 1 1 3 



37. Turnix Sykesii, A, Smith. 



Blyth, Cat. 1531 — T. Dussumierii, Temm. apud Sykes, Cat. 



165— and Gray, List of Nepal birds, — and Jeiidon, Cat. 769— 

 T. variabilis, Hodgson, Beng. Sport. Mag. 1837 p. 345? — figured 

 in the same periodical for 1836 pi. 1. f. 7— and for 1838 pi. 1. f. 

 2 — Dabhi, H. of some — Turaof others — Chimney, H. at Muttra — 

 Libbia, H. in Purneah — Tatu hattera, Sindh — Chinna (or tella) 

 ddba gundlUf Tel. 



The Button-quail. 



Descr. — Head brown, black -barred, with a pale supercilium 

 and central stripe ; upper parts chesnut brown, each feather finely 

 barred with black, and edged with yellowish-white, conspicuously 

 on the scapulars and part of the back, and, on the wing-coverts 

 so broadly as to appear entirely yellowish white with chesnut, 

 black-edged spots ; quills dusky brown ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 dark brown, closely barred with black, and with faint whitish 

 edges to the feathers ; throat whitish, with a few blackish specks 

 on the sides; breast pale ferruginous, " with the sides of the neck 

 and breast with dark brown drops and lunules ; abdomen whitish. 

 Bill plumbeous ; iricles pale yellow ; legs fleshy whitish. Length 

 5 to 5^ inches ; wing 2f ; tarsus f . 



This Button-quail, the most diminutive game-bird of India, was 

 first named by Dr. A. Smith, in his Zoology of South Africa, when 

 describing a nearly allied African species T. le^urana. It occurs 

 throughout the whole of India, (not however affecting hilly or 

 forest districts,) in grass, corn fields, and wherever there is thick 

 herbage. It is flushed with great difficulty, often getting up at 

 your very feet, flies but a few yards, and drops down again into 

 the grass, not to be re-flushed but after a most laborious search, 

 and sometimes allowing itself to be caught by the hand, or by a 

 dog. Its name of Dabki, signifying ' squatter,' is given from this 

 habit. It has a low plaintive moan of a single note. I regret 

 that I know nothing of the habits of this or the previous species 

 as to breeding, &c. 



Other species of this group are T. andalusici/s, Gmelin, figured 

 by Gould, Birds of Europe, pi. 264, found in Africa and the south 



P 



