166 THE BLUE-BREASTED OR PAINTED QUAIL. 



and rather rounded. The ground colour is olive brown, and the 

 shell is speckled with a few minute reddish brown spots." 



The eggs are broad ovals, as a rule, decidedly pointed at one 

 end, approaching the shape of those of the Common Francolin, 

 many varieties of which they precisely resemble in colour, which 

 is usually a more or less pale, slightly olivaceous drab or cafi 

 au lait, with a faint olive tinge. Generally they exhibit some 

 minute specks and spots, varying in colour from purplish grey 

 to an obscure reddish brown. In some clutches these markings 

 are excessively minute and sparse ; occasionally they are almost 

 entirely wanting, while most commonly they are pretty thickly 

 set, with here and there a spot a fiftieth of an inch in diameter. 



The eggs are always rather dull eggs, and, though the shell 

 is moderately fine and smooth, never seem to have more than a 

 faint gloss. 



They vary from 0*95 to 1*04 in length and from 07 to 0'8i in 

 width, but the average of a considerable series is 0*98 by 076. 



THIS species varies a good deal in size, but not according to sex, 

 chiefly, I think, according to age ; they continue apparently to 

 increase in bulk and Weight long after they are full-plumaged. 



The following is a re'sume' of a very large series of measure- 

 ments of adults of both sexes ; the young, even when nearly full 

 plumaged, are smaller : — 



Length, 5*45 to 6*o; expanse, 8*9 to ro'O ; wing, 2^65 to 3'0 ; 

 tail from vent, o # 8 to V2 ; tarsus, 075 to 0*9 ; bill from gape, 

 0'49 to 0*56 ; weight, 1*5 ozs. to 2 ozs. 



The legs and feet are bright yellow ; the claws brownish ; 

 the irides in the adult male always crimson or red, not deep 

 brown, as Jerdon and others following him state ; in the young 

 of both sexes they are usually brown ; in the adult female deep 

 brown, varying in old birds to red brown ; the eyelids are lead 

 colour ; bill black ; edge of upper mandible along commissure 

 and two-thirds of lower mandible plumbeous. This in the 

 male ; in the female, generally the entire gape and lower mandi- 

 ble are plumbeous. 



THE PLATE is very fair, and accurately represents the speci- 

 mens sent to be figured. Unfortunately the male was a very 

 small one, while the female was the largest of her sex that I 

 have seen, with a wing of 3*0 inches ; hence the plate might 

 convey the idea that the females were larger than the males, 

 whereas, though individuals of both sexes differ much in size, as 

 a body, the males are just as big as the females. 



The specific name is wrongly spelt on the plate. 



It is desirable to notice that in both sexes the plumage 

 varies very considerably according to age. The young birds of 

 both sexes are very like the adult female, but they have the 



