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ODONTOPHORUS STELLATUS,

Starred Partridge.

Gould.

SPECIFIC CHARACTER.

Od. pectore, abdomine cr essoque splendide rufescenti-castaneis ; pectoris plumis lateralibus gutta
= A . a
centralt alba annulo nigro angusto circumdaté stellatis.

Male.—Naked skin before and behind the eye yellowish ; bill black; crest rather lengthened

and full; forehead and ear-coverts clouded chestnut, the former passing into reddish

nd gradually brightening towards the occiput ; throat
both before and behind grey, all the feathers m

chestnut on the crown, a eee

argined with rufous ; scapularies and wings
CG

(except the primaries) beautifully marked with rich chestnut, buff and black, the black

predominating on the scapularies, which feathers are rendered very conspicuous by having

a whitish buff line down the centre ; the tertiaries also are marked with a bold edging of

rich buff, bounded on the inner side by a well-defined band of black, which surrounds the
feather, while the buff occupies the upper edge only ; at the up of all the wing-coverts is
a triangular spot of buffy white ; primaries blackish brown, marked on their outer edge
with indistinct but regular bars of reddish brown; back and rump dull greyish buff, each
feather minutely dotted and freckled with brown and black; tail-coverts and tail rufous
brown and black, the markings and colour so disposed that neither predominate, being
dispersed over each feather in alternate narrow zigzag: lines, interspersed with minute dots
and freckles ; chest, abdomen and under tail-coverts rich rufous chestnut; the feathers of
the chest with a small white mark in the centre, very nearly surrounded by a narrow irre-
gular line of black, giving it a very sparkling appearance ; feet and legs in the dried spe-
cimen horn-colour.

Female.—Difters in beimg smaller in size and in having the white markings of the chest more
lengthened in form and less conspicuous than in the male; in all other respects the
colouring of the two sexes is very similar.

Male —Yotal length, 10: inches ; bill, 3; wing, 53; tal, 31; tarsz, 2.
Female.—Total length, 91 inches; bell, 4; wing, 51; tadl, 21; tarsi, 1.
Ortyx (Odontophorus) stellatus, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 183.
Ortyx leucostictos, Natt. MSS. :
Odontophorus stellatus, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., Part LI. p. 43.

 

Q. dentatus ; it also inhabits the same country Brazil ; put from ie
in the more remote and less frequently visited districts o
al collection, and in the Imperial Museum at

Tuis species fully equals in size the
extreme rarity in our collections, it must reside
that fine country. Specimens are contained in our own nation
Vienna.

In form it is very nearly allied to O. dentatus
of those species by the rufous tint of the breast and by t Nee
near the centre of each ; it has also a fuller and rounder crest pe eee

Habitat. M. Natterer states that it inhabits the borders of the River Madeiré

The figures are of the natural size.

7 } is readily distinguished from both
and O. Guianensis, but 1s readily distinguishec a
he feathers of that part having a spangle of white
ither of those species.

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