(;)6 Allen's naturalist's library. 



Adult. — Easily distinguished from all the preceding species 

 by having a bunch of horny bristles at the base of the upper man- 

 dible ; otherwise much like N. mitrata ; inner webs of the 

 primaries uniform, or more or less spotted with white * ; upper 

 half of neck thinly covered with black feathers. Naked skin 

 on side of head, neck, and wattles blue ; helmet and bristles 

 pale horn-colour. Total length, 19 inches ; wing, 11 ; tail, 6*4; 

 tarsus, 3*2 ; middle toe (with claw), 27. 



Eange. — Equatorial and North-east i\frica. Tingasi, Shoa, 

 Abyssinia and Bogos-land lo Suakim, Sennaar, and Kordofan. 



Habits.— Mr. W. T. Blanford had many opportunities of study- 

 ing the habits of this species during his travels in Abyssinia, 

 and met with it throughout the country from the sea-coast 

 itself to an altitude of at least 9,000 feet. He says that these 

 birds keep much to craggy places, especially to rocky valleys, 

 and often remain during the middle of the day on the sides 

 of the steep or precipitous hills. They feed either in open fields 

 or in woods amongst bushes, &:c., in the morning and evening, 

 and roost at night on high trees, a grove of lofty junipers being 

 frequently selected for that purpose in the highlands. 



Throughout the winter and spring the Guinea-Fowls remain 

 in large flocks, usually of 200 or 300 birds each. These sub- 

 divide into smaller flocks to seek food during the day, but keep 

 to one general tract of country, and unite again at night. Where 

 not pursued, they are not particularly wary, and but little diffi- 

 culty is found in getting within gun-shot. 



In July and August the flocks divide into pairs, two or three 

 of which are often found together, and the breeding-season 

 commences. At this time the birds never appear to collect in 

 large flocks ; he did not, however, happen to see any of the 

 roosting-places. He shot a female containing a fully-formed 

 egg on the 9th August. 



* The absence or presence of white spots is apparently purely individual, 

 ajid has nothing to do with age or sex. 



