FRAN COLINUS SUBTORQUATUS. 
latter barred with rufous ; the inner surface of the shoulders and wings rusty 
ash-grey. The under part of the neck, the breast, and the belly, rusty white 
and freely variegated with slightly curved, umber- brown bars. (In specimens of 
a certain age the sides, or even the whole of the breast, is rufous, with the bars 
narrower and less distinct) the thighs, the under tail coverts, and the vent 
pale rufous, the latter only finely barred with brown. The upper mandible 
towards the angle of the mouth, and the whole of the lower towards its base, 
greenish yellow ; the remainder of both mandibles and the claws blackish 
brown ; the tarsi, the toes, and the spurs dull yellow. Eyes reddish brown. 
Form. — Figure slender; the head small and the neck rather long for the 
size of the bird ; bill moderately strong, slightly curved, broad at the base 
and rather narrow at the point ; feathers of front narrow and rigid ; the 
wings, when folded, extend nearly over the first half of the tail , the first 
quill feather is very small, the fifth and sixth are nearly of equal length and 
longest, the fourth and seventh equal and rather shorter than the last two ; the 
third and eighth of the same length, but not quite equal to the fourth, and 
only a very little longer than the second : some of the tertiaries equal in 
length to the longest primaries. Tail full and slightly rounded ; tarsi mode- 
rately robust and coated behind with two rows of large flat scales ; the toes 
are short, the hinder one very slender ; each tarsus ai med with a single spur, 
which is very short, blunt at the extremity, laterally compressed, and 
situated about two lines above the hinder toe. 
DIMENSIONS. 
laches. Lines. 
Length from the tip of the bill to the 
extremity of the tail 10 0 
of the bill from the angle of 
the mouth 0 10 
of the wings when folded 5 3 
of the tail 2 6 
Inches. Lines 
Length of the tarsus 1 6 
of the middle toe 0 9 
of the outer toe 0 6^ 
of the inner toe 0 4^ 
The female is without spurs to the tarsi ; in other respects she exhibits a 
close resemblance to the male. 
The few specimens of this species which we obtained were killed near to the tropic ol 
Capricorn, and were found upon the bases and slopes of low stony hills, which were thickly 
covered with fine brushwood. Among the brushwood, and between the large stones with 
which the surface of the hills was strewed, these partridges principally sought their food ; 
and though they occasionally resorted to the plains, they generally manifested a disposition 
to retreat to the hills, whenever they were molested on the latter. Having once reached 
the localities, which it appeared they considered the best constituted to ensure them safety, 
they could not, without much exertion, be driven from them ; and from their holding their 
ground with such pertinacity and manifesting such a determination to avoid flight, we lost 
several individuals which otherwise would probably have been secured. 
