TETEAONID^. 245 



This species feeds chiefly on small bulbs, but also eats 

 seeds, berries, and insects. 



The young of this Francolin are strong on the wing 

 about the month of May. 



The iris in this species is dark browTi ; the lore and 

 the bare skin round the eyes and on the chin and throat 

 is pale red, and the same colour tinges the lower man- 

 dible of the bill and the base of the upper, the remainder 

 of the latter being a dark horn-colour, lightest at the tip. 



[I liave not seen a Damara-Land specimen of tliis Francolin, 

 but Mr. Andersson^s identification of it is confirmed by Messrs. 

 Strickland and Sclater [loc. cit.). — Ed.] 



291. Scleroptera gariepensis (Smith). Orange-Eiver Francolin. 

 Fr(Uici)Unns i/an't'jioisi.s, Smith's Zool. of S. Africa, pis. 83 (male) 

 aud 84 (female). 

 „ „ Strickland & Sclater, Birds Damar., Contr. 



Orn. 1852, p. 1-57. 

 „ ,, Layard's Cat. No. 527. 



„ „ Chapman's Travels iu S. Afr., App. p. 412. 



„ „ Finsch & Hartlaub's Vogel Ost-Afrika's, 



p. 582. 

 Scleroptera gariepensis, Gray's Hand-list of Birds, Xo. 9(357. 



I only met with this beautiful Francolin on the high 

 tablelands of Damara and Great Namaqua Land ; but 

 there it is frequently very abundant, in coveys usually of 

 about six or eight individuals, though sometimes as few 

 as three birds, and at others as many as fourteen compose 

 the covey. 



These Francolins invariably frequent grassy slopes 

 sprinkled with dwarf bush ; they lie very close, and, 

 after having been once or twice flushed, are not easily 



