THE GREY JUNGLE-FOWL. 239 



the one is a long oval, with a fine compact hen's egg-like shell, of a 

 very pale creamy white colour, and with only a faint gloss ; the 

 other has a comparatively coarse shell, conspicuously pitted all 

 over with pores after the fashion of Guinea Fowls' or Peahens', 

 but yet glossy, is of a broad oval shape, slightly pointed to- 

 wards the smaller end, and of a rich, almost deep, cafe azt lait. 



Between these two types, which no one but an oologist would 

 at first sight believe to belong to the same species, every inter- 

 mediate form, some of them thickly speckled in parts with 

 brownish red, are metwith. 



The eggs vary from i*68 to 2*05 in length, and from V2l to 

 1*5 in breadth ; but the average of twenty-five eggs measured 

 is 184 by 1*38. 



The dimensions of this species are as follows : — 



Males. — Length, 280 to 32^0 ; expanse, 27*0 to 31*0; wing, 

 9*35 to 9*65 ; tail from vent, 14*0 to 16*0 ; tarsus, 2*85 to 3*0 ; 

 bill from gape, 1*28 to 1*3. Weight, lib. 10 ozs. to 2lbs. 8 ozs. 

 Length of spur, 1-3 to 175. 



The legs and feet are yellow, or reddish yellow, and the claws 

 black, but I have one specimen, probably a young bird, noted as 

 having had the legs and feet greenish brown. The bill in the 

 adult is, more or less of it, black, the upper mandible often 

 yellowish at base, and the lower mandible also pale horny, but in 

 younger birds the upper mandible is horny or greenish brown, 

 and the lower mandible yellow. The irides of the adults are 

 yellow or reddish orange, occasionally bright red, in younger 

 birds yellowish brown. 



Females. — Length, 18*0 to 20*0 ; expanse, 26*0 to 27*0 : wing, 

 yS to 8*3; tail from vent, &o to 7*0; tarsus, 2"2 to 2*55 ; 

 bill from gape, 1*02 to 1*2. Weight, lib. 9 ozs. to lib. 12 ozs. 



The legs and feet are brownish yellow, brownish fleshy in 

 younger birds, in both cases dusky or dingy on the feet. The 

 upper mandible in the adult dark horny brown, the lower 

 mandible white, yellow at the base. In younger birds entirely 

 pale horny brown. The irides bright red, yellower in some, 

 duller and browner in younger birds. 



In the male the whole of the large comb, bare facial skin, 

 and large wattles are bright crimson. In younger birds the 

 comb and wattles are smaller and not so brightly coloured. 



The female has no wattles, and the rudimentary comb and 

 bare facial skin is less brightly coloured than in the male. 



The Abu birds run rather larger and considerably heavier, 

 I think, than the Nilgiri ones. 



The Plate conveys a good idea of the bird, but does scant 

 justice to the brilliancy of the sealing-wax-like spots that 

 adorn the tips of the hackles. 



