26 THE PAINTED PARTRIDGE OR SOUTHERN FRANCOLIN. 



to which both species have been procured. These hybrids are 

 considerably larger birds than the pure-bred Painted Partridge, as 

 will be seen from the following particulars which Captain Butler 

 recorded of two of them : — 



Length. Wing. Tail. Bill at F. Bill at G. Expanse. Sex. Locality. 

 13-25. 575- 4'o 087 ro6. 2C0 <? | Dee . a , 8 . v6 



IT7S. 6-12- 4-o 10 106. 20=; * Deesa, 2-8 70. 



1375. 612* 4-0 10 rob. 20-5 <? 



" Irides very dark brown ; bill black ; legs and feet yellow- 

 ish salmon." 



One of these hybrids has been figured on the same plate as 

 the Chinese or Eastern Francolin, but its distinctive characters 

 have hardly been sufficiently clearly brought out there ; and I 

 may mention that it differs from every specimen of pictus that 

 I have seen, in having (1) a marked black line from the nostrils 

 to the anterior angle of the eye, and again from the posterior 

 angle backwards over the ear-coverts ; (2) in having a large 

 black patch on the breast ; (3) in having distinct traces, all 

 round the neck, of a broad chestnut collar ring ; (4) in its larger 

 size generally and larger bill in particular ; and (5) in having 

 the throat densely spotted with black — moreover all round the 

 neck, and on the breast (outside the patch) and abdomen there 

 is more black than in any pictus that I have seen. 



On the other hand, the bird as a whole is more of the pictus 

 than of the vulgaris type, and has the lores (below the dark 

 line), cheeks, ear-coverts, and the broad stripe over eyes and 

 down the sides of the neck, the same uniform bright rufous 

 fawn that pictus has ; the upper back as in pictus, and generally, 

 though differing in the particulars above referred to, the whole 

 plumage is of the pictus type. 



