98 ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



Adult Male and Female. — Easily recognised from the species 

 already mentioned by having the top of the head dark chest- 

 nut, a wide chestnut collar spotted with white bordering the 

 sides and front of the neck ; and the outer scapulars bordered 

 with rufous-chestnut instead of vinaceous or grey. 



Male: Total length, 12-5 inches; wing, 6*5 ; tail, 4*1 ; tar- 

 sus, 1-8. 



Female: Smaller; wing, 6*i. 



Range. — This extremely handsome species has a comparatively 

 limited range, being found in North-west Africa, Sardinia, near 

 Gibraltar, and in some of the islands of the Canary group. In 

 both the last-named localities it has doubtless been introduced. 

 Specimens have been obtained in Malta, but whether such ex- 

 amples are escaped cage-birds or accidental migrants is uncer- 

 tain. 



Eggs. — Similar to those of C. nifa, but the ground-colour is 

 usually more rufous. 



V. THE BLACK-HEADED RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE. CACCABIS 

 MELANOCEPHALA. 



Perdix inelanocephala^ Riipp. Neue Wirb. Vog. p. 11, pi. v. 



(1835). 

 Caccabis Tnelanocephala, Gray, Gen. B. iii. p. 508 (1846); Yer- 

 bury, Ibis, 1886, p. 19 ; Barnes, Ibis, 1893, p. 166 ; Ogil- 

 vie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 122 (1893). 

 Adult Male and Female. — General colour slaty-grey, shading 

 into buff on the under-parts. Top of the head black; a wide 

 black band surrounding the throat and continued down the 

 middle of the neck ; outer tail-feathers grey. 



Male: Total length, i6'6 inches ; wing, 77 ; tail, 57 ; tar- 

 sus, 22*5. 



T\iQ female is somewhat smaller; wing, 7*2. 



Range. — South-west Arabia, Jeddah, and Mecca, to Aden. 



Habits. — Very little is known about the habits of this fine 



