brownish red than that displayed in some of these blotches, and
eggs of this species of the boldly-coloured type are, I think, the
handsomest of all our Indian game birds' eggs. Taken as a
body, they are very like miniature Moonal eggs, and they also
remind one much of those of the European Black Grouse.
The eggs vary very much in size, viz., from 185 to 2"20. in
length, and from 1-39 to 1*57 i n breadth ; but the average of fifty
eggs is 2'oS by 1 '47-
MAI.ES MEASURE.—Length, 23 to25'5 ; expanse, 29-0 to 305 ;
wing, 9'25 to 100; tail from vent, 93 to 1125; tarsus, 2'65
to 285 ; bill from gape, l'3 to 152. Weight, 2 lbs, 2 ozs. to
2 lbs. 14 ozs.
The bill black or blackish dusky ; the irides dark brown ;
the legs and feet varying, in some purplish horny, in some
ashy, with a slight fleshy tinge ; in some greyish horny, a pale
horny blue in front and dingy brown behind.
Fannies—Length, 2075 to 22'o; expanse, 2"'5 to 28'5 ; wing,
8-2 to 89 ; tail from vent, 7'2 to 8-5 ; tarsus, 2*47 to2'55 ; bill from
gape, 1'38 to 1'46. Weight, 1 lb. 10 oz. to 2 lbs.
The bill dark horny ; the irides dark brown ; the legs and
feet pale plumbeous, or horny grey.
T H E PLATE docs not represent a typical mctcrolopha. The
black central stripes to the feathers of the upper back, back
and sides of neck, and sides of breast and body, are not in typical
macrolophct half the width there shown, while on the rump and
upper tail-coverts they are almost entirely, at times wholly,
wanting in this form. Our plate was drawn from a specimen
intermediate between macrolophtx and nipalensis, but nearest the
former. As far as I can judge, all three supposed species are
inseparably connected by an unbroken series of intermediate
forms.