ig.e McGregor: Philippine Birds, IV 693 
The eggs are the color of good coffee that has plenty of cream 
in it, somewhat near Ridgway’s cinnamon-buff. The shell is 
compact and somewhat glossy. Under a lens small scattered 
pits are revealed. Oates says that some of the eggs of the 
common francolin “exhibit white spots, as if the outer layer of 
the shell had become disintegrated,” but he does not mention 
white spots in connection with the eggs of the Chinese 
species. Each of the eight eggs from Balagbag has very 
evident white markings. These are most numerous near 
the larger end in each egg. Most of them are very small dots, 
but a few are spots measuring from 1 to 2 millimeters in diameter. 
Under the lens these white spots appear to be surface markings 
and not the result of the disintegration of part of the brown 
layer. When the eggshell is held toward the light, the opposite 
side appears light green through the blowhole. The shape of 
the egg is well represented in the Catalogue of Birds’ Eggs, but 
the coloring of the figure is not very near that of the few eggs 
I have seen. 
I assume that some of these birds had been recently liberated 
near Manila. I have met a man who told me that he had released 
five hundred or more in the vicinity of Balagbag. If this species 
will thrive here, it will probably be a valuable addition to the 
Philippine fauna, which is very poorly supplied with upland game 
birds. The following description will serve for the identification 
of specimens: 
Male . — General color dark brown, with many conspicuous 
w'hite spots; top of head blackish brown, on each side of this 
a tan stripe from base of bill to occiput, a black stripe from bill 
through eye to neck, below eye a white stripe from bill to ear, 
below this a black line; neck and mantle black, each feather 
with four or six white spots ; back, rump, and tail coverts black, 
barred with narrow wavy white lines; chin and upper throat 
white, lower throat black, spotted with white similar to mantle 
but more white, the white spots increase in size on breast and 
abdomen until the black is reduced to bars; under tail coverts 
rusty buff, wings dark brown with bold spots of cinnamon-buff ; 
flanks and thighs washed with cinnamon-buff. Bill black; iris 
dark brown; legs and feet ochraceous orange; nails horn gray. 
Wing, 147 millimeters; tail, 85; tarsus, 40; middle toe with 
claw, 37 ; culmen from base, 28 ; bill from nostril, 17. 
Female . — General color and pattern similar to those of the 
male, but stripes on side of head obscure. Wing, 139 milli- 
183013 5 
