two inches,'the breadth one inch six lines the -colour, of one
in my own collection* tihifornt olive bro'Wn ; but I haye seen
them slightly clouded with patches of darker brown ^
The food of this species Consists * of herbs* grain, and insects
V in the specimen killed a t Harwich, " ï& my owïi côllec^
tion, the body of which was examined* the stomach contained
parts of leaves, of the white turnip/ lungwort, dandelion* and
a féw blades of grass. The flesh had the appearance and
flavour of that of a young hen Pheasant. These birds inhabit
open countries, and fly with gre&t speed and-power.' -
• The adult male, when in the plumage peculiar to the
breeding-season, has the beak brown ; the irides golden yellow;
the top of the head pale chestnut mottled with black; Gh'éeks,
ear-coverts* the front and sides of thé neck* bluish grey*
bounded inferiorly by a -border ^of black passing: to; tmf back
of the neck ; below this a; narrow white ring all round the
neck, and below this a broad collar of black, with a gorget >6f
white, and another of black at the bottom of the neck in
front ; shoulders* back, scapulars, tertials, and upper tail-
coverts, pale chestnut^brown, streakedciirregularly with nu-
merous narrow linesi ;ofl black all the wing-cbverts,:=''an-d the
base of the primaries; white, thé distal half - öf tl^prjmariefi
greyish black the secondaries patched with black and white ;
the base of the: tail-feathers white, the' ends mottled with
black and butFy white; crossed with two narrow bars of black;
the extreme tips white ; the breast, and all the under surface'
of the body, white ; legs^toesj and claws, clay-brown.
The whole length about seventeen inches.- From the carpal
joint to the end of the wing, nine inches and three-quarters
; the first quill-feather almost an: inch shorter than’the
second, which in the mâle described Was as long as the third,
and both longer than the fourth, the second and third being
the longest in;the Wing. .
The males that are killed in the winter half-year have the
feathers of the neck of pale chestnut streaked with black, like
the same part in the female, which does not change with the
^season.
The adult female is, e f ithe same size as the male, and
has thcst-head and neck mottled and streaked with black on
a ground of pale chestni|tj|; the chin white ;■ the neck below
withoiati any appearance |%f transverse^ bars at any season;
the wing-ccjverts have'^feg^ white than those, of the males;
the white feathers on; the breast, sides, and flanks, ^are marked'“
with "short transverse bars of‘black.- Females in other
Respects resemble the males.