THE INDIAN BUSTARD-QUAIL. 1 75 



one contained six x and two five eggs. Jerdon speaks of the eggs 

 as being from five to eight in number ; if eight eggs have ever 

 been found in a nest, it must have been where two hens, compelled 

 to share a single husband, and having therefore only one party 

 to sit on the eggs, agreed both to lay in one spot. 



Captain Butler writes to me : — " I found a nest containing four 

 fresh eggs near Deesa on the 9th August. I laid a horse-hair 

 noose on each side of the tuft of grass under which it was placed, 

 and on returning to the spot about a quarter of an hour later, I 

 found the cock bird snared and sitting upon the eggs, probably not 

 knowing that he was caught, as he did not move off the eggs 

 until I frightened him. The nest consisted of a small saucer- 

 shaped hole scratched under a low tuft of grass growing in an 

 open field, with scarcely another blade of grass near it. It 

 was lined with a thin loose pad of short pieces of dry grass 

 and thin bits of stick and fell to pieces in my hand. The eggs 

 are perfect miniature pegtops, being almost round at the large 

 end and very pointed at the small. They are remarkably large 

 for the size of the bird, of a dirty stone colour, densely covered 

 with brown and yellow specks, having good-sized blackish spots 

 and blotches sparingly scattered over the shell, principally 

 towards the large end. A few inky purple markings, as if below 

 the outer surface of the shell, are also visible. An equal mixture 

 of mustard, salt and pepper would give one a good idea of the 

 general colour of the eggs. They have scarcely any gloss. 



" I found several other nests in a grass preserve in the same 

 neighbourhood on the following dates : — 



" July 28th, 1876, a nest containing 4 fresh eggs. 



>» j> 

 » 30th 

 Aug. 1 st 

 n 4th 

 „ 5th 

 „ 6th 

 „ 7th 



"All of these nests were exactly similar to the one I have des- 

 cribed, except that in most instances they were placed under a 

 tussock of grass instead of being out in the open." 



With the Bustard-Quail we are presented with quite a new 

 type of egg, somewhat reminding us, no doubt, of those of the 

 Common Quail, but yet widely differing in colour and general 

 appearance. In shape the eggs vary from moderately broad 

 ovals, scarcely at all pointed towards the small end, to typical 

 peg-tops. The ground colour is greyish white, and they are very 

 thickly and minutely speckled all over with what a close exam- 

 ination proves to be a mixture of minute dots of yellowish and 

 reddish brown and pale purple. Some eggs have absolutely no 

 markings except this minute dotting or stippling, but the majority 

 have spots and blotches more or less thinly speckled over the 

 surface (often only at the large end, always most thickly there) 



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