( 0S9 ) 

 ON A NEW BUSTARD FROM THE PALAEARCTIC REGION. 



By the HON, WALTER ROTHSCHILD and ERNST HARTERT. 



WHEN seeing some beautiful specimens of the I/oxiara-hnatnTd from Tunis 

 and Fnertavputura stuffoil side by side in Professor Koenig's collection 

 in Bonn, Mr. Hartert was struck by the diiference of colour between those from 

 Africa and those from Fnertaventnra. 



When i-eceiving some skins from Fnertaventnra some months ago we went 

 to the British Museum, and, comparing our ( 'anarian specimens with those 

 from North Africa, it became evident tliat the former were more blackish above, 

 with the linft' markings less extended and paler, while the latter were more rufous 

 buff above, and, besides, tlie blackish bars to the rectrices were liroader in the 

 former. 



• Now we have received two tine ma/i's from Gabes, Tunis, through Herr Spatz, 

 and we find our former observations confirmed. Whilst the Fnertaventura birds 

 are much more blackish above, evidently in harmony with the sun-burnt rocks 

 which arc frequent on its native island, and the wing-coverts much more greyish, 

 those from Tunis and Algiers have less black above, and the ground colour of the 

 feathers above is of a truly sandy rufous to sandy rufous butf, the differences being 

 esiiecially visible on the inner secondaries, scapulars, etc., quite in harmony with 

 the sandy deserts they inhabit, and much like the ground colour of so many true 

 desert birds, like Ammomanfis cinctura, Cursorius isabellinus, several of the Pterocles, 

 and others. 



The dark bands across the tail are broader in the Fnertaventnra bird, and 

 there are only four of them, while there are five in birds from the continent— 

 at least, they are traceable— and there is more blackish mottling between the 

 dark bars. 



The hl&wk-Houba ni may be characterised as follows : — 



Houbara fiiertaventurae sp. uov. 



Differt a HotilMm luuhilafa (.laiMpj ex Africa septcntrionale colore supra 

 nigricantiore et minus isabelliuo, fasciis caudae latioribus. 



liab. Fnertaventura insnla. 



Total length about 23—24 inches : wing 14-8— 15 ; tail about 9 ; tarsus :3-.") : 

 middle toe with claw 2 ; culmen I'll. 



(Type in the Tring Museum.) 



It is, perhaps, remarkable that the ('anary Islands, so easy to reach from 

 Europe, with a beautiful climate and no hostile tribes, have been left but partially 

 explored for a long time, although such interesting forms as FriiKjilla teijden, 

 Cohimha laurirora, and others were known to exist on them. It is only of 

 late that the efforts of Koenig, Meade-Waldo, and Tristram have acquainted 

 us with such highly interesting forms as Erithncus auperbus, Pratincola dacotiae, 

 Fringilla palmae, and several others. 



_/ 



