374 ntAsiAxiD.^. 



■44. AGELASTES. 



Type. 

 Agelastes (Temm.), Bviiap. P. Z. S. 1849, p. 14^3 . . A. meleagrides. 

 Agelastus, Hurtl. J.f. 0. 1855, p. 356 A. meleagrides. 



Skin of the head and greater part of the neck naked or with only 

 a few niiimte scattered plumes. 



Tail composed of 14 feathers, rather long, rounded, the outer 

 feathers not very much shorter than the middle pair. Upper tail- 

 coverts I of the length of the middle pair of tail-feathers. 



1st primary m'jch shorter than the 2ud, which equals the 10th ; 

 5th to 7th longest. 



Tarsus considerahly longer than the middle toe and claw, and 

 armed in the male with a short stout spur. 



Mange. West Africa from Liheria to Gaboon. 



1. Agelastes meleagrides. 



Agelastes meleagrides (Temm.), Bonap. P. Z. S. 1849, p. 145; Sc/il. 



Handl. Dierk. 1857, Toy. tig. 57 ; Sclat. P. Z. S. 1863, p. 11^6 



[(.4aboon] ; Gray, List GallincB Brit. Mtis. p. 45 (]8<7); id. 



Hand-l. B. ii. p. 263 (1870J ; Hchl. Dierentuin, 1872, p. 220, fig. ; 



Elliot, Mon. Phdi. ii. pi. 37 (1872) ; Biittikofer,N. Leyd. Mm. vii. 



p. 230 (1885), & X. p. 98 (1888) [Liberia]. 

 Agelastus meleagrides, Haril. J.f. O. 1855, p. 356 [Babocrom]; 



Schl. Handl. tot der Dierk. i. p. 382 (1857) : Hartl. Orn. W.-Afr. 



p. 200 (1857). 



Adult male. Feathers on the lower parts of the neck, upper 

 mantle, and chest white ; rest of the plumage black, iinely vcrmicu- 

 lated with white, except the primaries, which have the outer web 

 edged with whitish grey. A pair of short stout spurs. Naked 

 skin of the head red, darker on the occiput and hind neck ; skin of 

 the lower neck milky white. Bill greenish brown, feet olive-grey. 

 Total length 19 inches, wing 8-7, tail 6, tarsus 2'9. 



Adult female. Differs only from the male in having no spurs. 

 Total length 18 inches, wing 8'4, tail 6, tarsus 2-9. 



An immature specimen has the head and neck more or less 

 covered with downy blackish-brown feathers ; the mantle and chest 

 blackish brown, the rest of the plumage the same, tipped and barred 

 ■with rusty brown, and the middle of the belly white. 



Hab. Same as that of the genus. 



«. h. 2 ad. et imm. Denkera, Asliantee (Ussher). Sharpe & Shelley 



sk. CoUs. 



c. (5 ad. sk. Elmina, Fantee. Purchased. 



45. NUMIDA. 



Type. 



Numida, Livn. S. N. i. p. 273 (1766) N. meleagris. 



Numidia, F/em. Philus. Zvol. ii. p. 230 (1822) N. meleagris. 



Querelea, Beichenb. Aat. Si/st. J'dff. p. xxvii (1852) . . N. mitrata. 



Head and neck naked ; top of the head with a bony helmet, more 



