30 THE BENGAL FLORICAN. 



the eggs be handled in her absence, she is sure to discover it 

 and to destroy them herself. The eggs are of the size and 

 shape of an ordinary domestic fowl's, but one generally larger 

 and more richly coloured than the other. 



" The female sits on her eggs about a month, and the young 

 can follow her very soon after they chip the egg. In a month 

 they are able to fly ; and they remain with the mother for 

 nearly a year, or till the procreative impulse again is felt by her, 

 when she drives off the long-since fully grown young. Two 

 females commonly breed near each other, whether for company 

 or mutual aid and help ; and thus the coveys, — so to speak, 

 though they are not literally such,— are usually found to consist 

 of four to six birds. The Florican breeds but once a year in 

 June-July, that is, the eggs are then laid, and the young hatch- 

 ed in July-August. 



" The eggs, about the size of those of a Bantam, 2 inches long 

 by I J inch broad, are of a sordid stramineous hue, very minute- 

 ly dotted and more largely blotched and clouded with black, 

 somewhat as in Lobivaiiellus indicus or the Indian Lapwing." 



I have never yet succeeded in obtaining an egg of this species, 

 but they have been described to me as closely resembling those 

 of the Likh, or Lesser Florican (fully described under that 

 species), but considerably larger and varying from 2 to 2*5 in 

 length, and from 1*5 to i*8 in breadth. 



I HAVE shot but few of these Florican since I took to measur- 

 ing birds, and have but few dimensions recorded. Three young 

 but nearly full grown males measured — 



Length, 24 to 26 ; expanse, 41 to 45 ; wing, 13*5 to 1375 ; 

 tail, &8y to 7*25 ; tarsus, 6*12 to 675 ; bill to gape, 2^25 to 

 2*5. Weight, 3-25 to 375 lbs. 



A friend sends the measurements of a single bird, an adult 

 male, which agree closely with those given by Jerdon : — 



Male. — Length, 27 ; expanse, 46 ; wing, 1475 ; tarsus, 

 6'25 ; tail, 7-5 ; bill at front, 1*3. Weight, 3 lbs. (!) 



The females are said to be, and probably are, larger in this 

 species, and Jerdon gives the dimensions as : — Length, 28 to 29 ; 

 expanse, 50. Weight, 4 lbs to even 5 lbs. But four, apparently, 

 adult females which I measured were much smaller, vis. : — 



Length, 26 to 27 ; expanse, 43 to 48 ; wing, 14 to 1475 ; 

 tail, 7*25 to 775 ; tarsus, &S7 to 675 ; bill to gape, 2*5 to 

 275. Weight, 3*5 to 4^5 lbs. 



The irides have certainly been yellow, varying from very 

 pale to almost golden in all the many birds that I have shot, 

 but Jerdon says they are brown ; the legs are dirty straw- 

 colour ; the bill dusky bluish above, bluish grey to yellowish 

 below, and somewhat fleshy brown towards gape. 



