122 THE ROCK BUSH-QUAIL.
IN THIS SPECIES I cannot discover any constant difference in
size in the sexes. Although the difference is not much, still,
collating all the measurements I have on record, this species
seems to be a trifle, a mere trifle, larger than the Jungle Bush-
Quail.
Length, G7 to 7^25 ; expanse, i c o to ll"2 ; wing, 3-1 to 3'5 ;
tail from vent, i'5 to rg; tarsus, 075 to r o ; bill from gape,
0'5 to 067 ; weight, 2'2 5 ozs. to 3 ozs.
The legs and feet are dull red to bright orange red, in
younger birds brownish fleshy, and every intermediate shade
is observable ; irides brown to light red ; bill, upper mandible,
black, lower paler, often bluish grey at base ; in younger birds
the upper is dark horny brown, the lower pale fleshy.
THE PLATE is a very pretty and artistic performance, but it is,
from our point of view, eminently unsatisfactory. In the first
place, the beautifully drawn figure on the right, the standing
bird, is an old female of the Jungle Bush-Quail, and at any rate
usefully supplements the plate of that species. NOTE that the
plate is wrongly named, and should stand as P. argoondah and
not P, asiatica. The Central Quail in the fore-ground fairly
represents an old female of the Rock Bush-Quail. The figure
to the left, squatted down, will also pass muster for a young
female, but both old and young males (the old with his white,
closely-barred breast, pale dull rufous chin and throat and
no perceptible supercilium, the whole upper surface transversely
barred) arc placed at such a distance in the back ground
that nothing can be made of them. It is simply hopeless
getting illustrations done at home unless you are there yourself
to supervise the artists.