THE BARE-TIIROATED FRANCOLINS. T35 



XLiv. erckel's FRANCOLIN. FRANCOLINUS ERCKELI. 



Perdix erckelii, Riippell, Neue Wirbelth. p. 12 (1835). 

 Francoli?ius ercke/ii, Des Murs, in Lefebvre's Voy. en Abyss. 



p. 144, pi. II (1845); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 



xxii. p. 172 (1893). 

 Francolinus erkelii^ Auct. passim ; Blanford, Geol. and Zool. 



Abyss, p. 423 (1870). 



Adult Male. — General colour above greyish-brown, each 

 feather of the back and wing-coverts margined with dark chest- 

 nut ; scapulars with ivhitish shaft-stripes; under-parts grey^ 

 shading ifito zvhitish, with an oblong dark chestnut, sometimes 

 Wackish, spot at the extremity of the shaft ; bill black ; feet 

 yelloivish. Two pairs of equally developed, stout, sharp, spurs. 

 Totallength, 17 inches; wing, Z'^; tail, 4*8; tarsus, 2-4. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the scapulars, 

 tail-coverts, and tail-feathers more barred with wavy black and 

 buff bars, and the feet without spurs. 



Range. — North-east Africa; Bogosland and Eastern Abys- 

 sinia to Shoa, and westwards to Wogara, 2,500 to 11,000 feet. 



THE BARE-THROATED FRANCOLINS. GENUS 

 PTERNISTES. 



Pternistes, Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1229. 



Type, P. fiudicollis (Bodd.). 



The characters which distinguish this genus are the same as 

 those of Francoli?ius, but the throat is naked, and the naked 

 patch round the eye is large and conspicuous. 



The nine species comprising this genus may be divided into 

 two sections : — 



A. Feathers of the back and scapulars with dark-broivn or 

 black shaft-stripes (species i to 7, pp. 136-140). 



B. Feathers of the back and scapulars with ivhite shaft- 

 stripes (species 8 and 9, pp. 140-141). 



