A Manual of Philippine Birds. Richard C. McGregor
abdomen white; rest of lower parts rusty buff or clay-color, a trifle lighter than in T. worcesteri; each feather on sides of breast marked with a wide black bar; primaries, secondaries, primary-coverts, and alula drab-gray; first primary and first feather of alula edged exteriorly with ocherous-buff; secondary-coverts and inner secondaries with wide edges of ocherous-buff preceded by large black spots or bars; wing-lining and axillars drab-gray; tail bluish slate and hidden by the long coverts. Length, 130; wing, 65.5; tail, 18.1; exposed culmen, 11.5; depth of bill at angle of gonys, 4; tarsus, 20; middle toe with claw, 18.5.
The only specimen known was taken on a grassy hill near the town of Guindulman, in Bohol, June 22, 1906. It is closely related to T. suluensis.
10. TURNIX WORCESTERI McGregor.
WORCESTER’S BUTTON QUAIL.
Turnix worcesteri McGregor, Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 8, pl. 1, fig. 1; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 8.
Luzon (McGregor).
Adult (sexes nearly alike).—General color above black; forehead spotted with white; feathers of crown and nape tipped with pale buff and some edged with white, producing an incomplete white line on middle of head (this line may be perfect in a well made skin); feathers on back and rump barred and tipped with pale buff; tertials and scapulars edged with whitish buff; feathers on sides of face mostly white with black tips; lores white; feathers on sides of neck black, each with a wide, subterminal, white bar; a small black spot behind ear; breast and throat rusty buff or dark clay-color, this color extending up each side of the white chin-area as rusty-buff tips to the feathers and bounded above by the black-tipped white feathers of malar region; flanks, under tail-coverts, and sides of abdomen and breast also rusty buff, but paler; middle of abdomen whitish; a few feathers on sides of abdomen barred with blackish brown; primaries, their coverts, and secondaries drab-gray; four outer primaries narrowly edged with whitish; secondaries barred with whitish on outer webs; secondary-coverts blackish, mottled and edged with pale buff; rectrices blackish, edged with buff. Bill pale bluish; legs flesh-pink, nails slightly darker; iris very pale yellow. A male measures: Length, 120; wing, 65; tail, 27; culmen from base, 10; depth of bill at angle of gonys, 5; tarsus, 17; middle toe with claw, 16. Length of female, 128; wing, 71; tail, 23.5; culmen, 11.4; depth of bill at angle of gonys, 5.8; tarsus, 16.7; middle toe with claw, 18.
Worcester’s quail is known from four specimens which were purchased in Quinta Market, Manila. It resembles T. whiteheadi but differs from that species in having the bill much deeper. Major E. A. Mearns informs me that he is quite sure that he saw a live bird of this species in Manila, in August, 1907.
Tip of bill horny and strongly convex forming a “nail” which is often of a shade or color different from that of the soft, contracted, basal portion; covering of nostril generally tumid; toes four, three in front, cleft to the base or with a slight web; hind toe not elevated; legs and toes never much lengthened; tarsus either slightly longer or slightly shorter than middle toe without claw; wing flat and rather long; in several genera the primaries variously cut or attenuated; tail usually square or slightly rounded; never forked; in Macropygia and Geopelia the rectrices are greatly graduated. A few genera are terrestrial, but most of them are more or less arboreal and generally capable of strong, swift, and sustained flight. Their food is largely grain and small seeds; the larger species feed on the fruits of trees, rarely on the leaves. The nest is a slight structure of twigs placed on the ground, in a shrub, or in a tall tree. Eggs one or two, pure white or slightly cream-colored; in shape rather long, equal ended, ovals.
Characters same as those given for the Order.
Families.
a1. Soles very broad; tarsus stout, more or less feathered, and generally shorter than middle toe without claw.b1. Nostril coverings flat or but slightly swollen Treronidæ (p. 24)b2. Nostril coverings swollen forming a grape-seed shaped prominence on each side of culmen Columbidæ (p. 51)
a2. Soles not greatly expanded on sides of toes; tarsus more slender, unfeathered, and longer than middle toe without claw Peristeridæ (p. 54)
Soles very broad; tarsus stout, more or less feathered; bill stout or large; gape very wide in some; nostril covering flat or somewhat swollen; tail moderate in length, nearly square; medium to large sized species.
Subfamilies.
a1. Under tail-coverts long, their tips reaching well beyond toes; size generally smaller; length, 340 mm. or less.b1. First primary not attenuated; third primary scooped on middle of inner web, except in Phapitreron which has mostly brown plumage. Treroninæ (p. 24)b2. First primary abruptly attenuated, except in Spilotreron which has mostly green plumage; third primary normal Ptilopodinæ (p. 36)
a2. Under tail-coverts moderate, their tips reaching little if any beyond toes; size generally larger; length, 360 mm. or more Muscadivorinæ (p. 42)
Subfamily TRERONINÆ.
Genera.
a1. General color green or greenish yellow; rectrices fourteen, under coverts usually equal to or longer than shortest rectrix; third primary deeply scooped near middle of inner web.b1. Horny nail of bill reaching feathers of forehead Treron (p. 25)b2. Horny nail of bill not reaching feathers of forehead.c1. Tail slightly graduated; under tail-coverts broadly streaked, the shafts black Sphenocercus (p. 26)c2. Tail square; under tail-coverts not streaked, the shafts of the same color as the webs Osmotreron (p. 26)
a2. General color brown; rectrices twelve, under coverts shorter than shortest rectrix; third primary not scooped Phapitreron (p. 29)
Genus TRERON Vieillot, 1816.
This genus differs from the other green pigeons in having the horny portion of culmen extending back to frontal feathers; a small naked area around eye; pattern and colors of the plumage very similar to those of Osmotreron axillaris.
11. TRERON NIPALENSIS (Hodgson).
THICK-BILLED GREEN PIGEON.
Toria nipalensis Hodgson, As. Research (1836), 19, 164, pl. 9.
Treron nipalensis Salvadori, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1893), 21, 34; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 53; Oates, Cat. Birds’ Eggs (1901), 1, 82; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 9.
Treron nasica Steere, List Birds and Mams. Steere Exp. (1890), 24.
Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Steere, Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, White). Nepal to Burma, Malay Peninsula, Siam, Cochin China, Tenasserim, Borneo.
Adult male.—Crown ashy, forehead lighter; face and neck