12 1 gamp: birds of india. 



says IVIr. Blyth, " very well with Hardwicke's figure, except that 

 the mottled black patches on the upper parts are smaller, and more 

 numerous, and scarcely appear on the wings which should have 

 been colored paler ; the pencilling in front of the neck is very 

 delicate ; the tail is banded with light ashy (appearing blue) 

 slightly bordered with black. The coronal feathers are all, in the 

 mass, considerably lengthened, there is no indication whatever 

 of the medial crest ; the lower third of the lateral neck-tufts are 

 white, but the front of the neck, below the dull white throat, is 

 uniform pale buff, minutely freckled w T ith black, and at its base are 

 some lengthened plumes of a pale ash color impending the breast." 



Another specimen agrees nearly with the Hansi bird, but has 

 a slight crest, or apparently the remains of a crest in process of 

 being shed, confined to the forehead only, and there are but few 

 traces of white upon the black or upper tuft of lateral neck 

 plumes. Mr. Blyth is inclined to regard the crest as a distinctive 

 characteristic of the breeding season only, when it would probably 

 be more developed in the male than in the female. 



I am strongly inclined to think that 0. marmorata, Gray, in 

 Hardwicke's Illustrations, is intended for the female in ordinary 

 attire. It has generally been considered as the female of Syplieo- 

 tides bengalensis, but the whole style of the markings is that of 

 the Houbara rather than of the Florikin. The only difference is 

 that the white of the wing is not shown ; but, on the other side, 

 the primaries of the hen Florikin are black. It may, indeed, be 

 a young Houbara. 



According to Captain Boys the female assumes the ruff in 

 the breeding plumage but not the crest ; but so few observations 

 have been recorded about this bird, that it is yet possible (and 

 probable from analogy) that the hen bird possesses neither crest 

 nor ruff. The female of the African Houbara, according to 

 Temminck, has neither crest nor ruff. The figure among Burnes' 

 drawings may be that of a young male in his first breeding season 

 before the ruff had been fully developed ; and in this drawing and 

 that of marmorata, the hides of both are represented as vinous 

 red, whilst that of the adult is said to be yellow. This bird is 

 so exceedingly similar to the African Houbara (H. undulata\ 





