Order TURNIGIFORMES 
No. 19. 
Family TURN I Cl DM. 
TURNIX OLIVII. 
ALLIED QUAIL. 
(Plate 17.) 
Turnix OLIVII Robinson, Bull. B.O.C., X., p. XLIII. (1900) (Cooktown, North Queensland). 
Turnix olivii Robinson, Bull. B.O.C., X., p. XLIII. (1900) ; id., and Laverock, Ibis, p. 649 
(1900) ; Campbell, Nests and Eggs Austr. B., p. 1083 (1901). 
Turnix olivei Mathews, Handl. B. Austral., p. 7 (1908). 
Distribution. Cooktown, North Queensland. 
Adult female (type of the species). General colour above, pale vinous-chestnut with 
lavender-grey edges to the feathers of the upper-surface ; on the mantle and back 
a certain number of feathers are crossed with black bars towards their ends and 
broadly edged with ashy- white, forming streaks, which have a coterminal line 
of black accompanying the white streaks on their inner side ; these banded and 
white-streaked feathers being present among the scapulars but absent on the rump, 
upper tail-coverts and tail which are pale cinnamon ; wing-coverts vinous-chestnut 
hke the back and with the same ashy-grey edges to the feathers, which are differently 
marked, being spotted with white on the inner median and greater coverts, these 
white spots having a more or less distinct subterminal line of black ; lesser wing- 
coverts more dusky, having black centres to the feathers ; primary-coverts blackish, 
forming a wing-patch ; quiUs sepia-brown, with ashy or dull rufous margins and 
sMghtly paler ends, the first primary externally whitish, the next ones edged with hoary- 
grey, inner secondaries spotted with white, like the coverts ; head pale slaty-grey 
with a line of chestnut feathers on each side of the crown which are barred with 
black ; sides of face and ear-coverts ashy-grey spotted with minute specks of white ; 
chin white followed by buff on the throat which spreads over the breast, where it is 
washed more or less with ashy-grey ; on the sides of the body the feathers are vinous- 
chestnut edged with pale grey ; abdomen whitish, more or less suffused with buff ; 
flanks and under tail-coverts sandy-buff ; under wing-coverts, axillaries and the under 
aspect of quills pearly grey with a certain amount of pale vinous on the under wing- 
coverts ; the margin of the wing below is dotted with black. “ Bill brown ; iris 
yellow ; feet yellow ” (E. Ohve). Total length, 190 mm. ; culmen, from base of 
skull, 21 ; wing, 106 ; tail, 42 ; tarsus, 25. 
The only known specimen of this bird is the type which is in the Tring 
Museum. 
This species was described by Mr. Herbert C. Robinson at the meeting of the 
British Ornithologists’ Club held on February 21st, 1900. Mr. Robinson, named 
the species after Mr. E. Olive, who had obtained it near Cooktown on June 25th, 
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