126 BULLETIN 15 3, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



The Juvenal male does not quite agree with Van Someren's descrij)- 

 tion of the corresponding stage of the southern form infuscatus.^* 

 According to this author the chick, " * * * is dark chestnut on 

 the head, with a pale sandy superciliary stripe." The present speci- 

 men has the forehead and a wide superciliary (a quarter the width 

 of the head) on each side pale sandy buff, the middle of the crown 

 and occiput dark chestnut, the whole area bordered with blackish 

 brown. The nape, scapulars, wing coverts, interscapulars, and back, 

 are light tawny brown mottled with blackish and have narrow white 

 shaft streaks, expanding apically into triangular white spots; 

 remiges tawny like the back, irregularly banded with light buffy, 

 the bands bordered with blackish; rump, upper tail coverts, and 

 rectrices similar to the remiges but the bands closer together; sides 

 of head, lores, and subocular region pale sandy buff, like the fore- 

 head; auriculars brown; chin and throat white; breast, abdomen, 

 flank, sides, thighs, and under-tail coverts whitish heavily spotted 

 subterminally with blackish brown, the spots narrowly edged with 

 rufous tawny ; soft parts as mentioned above. 



The three immature birds are noticeably lighter generally than 

 corresponding examples of infuscatus^ and agree with this stage of 

 muhamed-hen-abdullah^ to judge from Van Someren's description 

 of the latter.^^ The young male is slightly more rufous above and 

 on the sides of the abdomen than the two females, and is a little 

 larger as well. 



This race also exhibits great variation in the number of tarsal 

 spurs. Six males have 1 on each foot; 2 have 1 on the right and 2 

 on the left; 10 have 2 on each, and 1 has 2 on the right and 3 on the 

 left foot. 



The Shoan bare-throated spur fowl was noted at the following 

 places : Gidabo Kiver, March 15-17, 2 seen ; " Black " or North Lake 

 Abaya, March 18-20, 135 birds; Lake Abaya, March 21-23, 100; 

 "White" or South Lake Abaya, March 23-26, 100; from South 

 Lake Abaya to near Gardula, March 26-29, 30; Gato River, March 

 29-May 17, 1,100 birds ; Kormali Village, May 18, 40 ; Sagon River 

 and Bodessa, June 3-6, 85 seen; Tertale, June 7-12, 500 birds; El 

 Ade, June 12-14, 64 birds; Mar Mora, June 14, 50 seen; Turturo, 

 June 15-17, 150; Anole, June 17, 50 birds; Wohok, June 18, 50 

 noted; near Saru June 19, 100; Yebo, June 20, 100 birds; Karsa 

 Barecha, June 21, 200 seen; Malata, June 22, 100 noted; Boran, 

 lower Chaffa village, 25 birds; Upper Chaffa village, June 24, 20 

 seen ; Chaffa, June 24r-25, 25 observed. 



**Journ. E. Afr. and Uganda Nat. Hist. Soc. 1926, p. 100. 

 ^ Idem. 



