£72 ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



Species. I have at different limes kept these httle birds alive, 

 and sent them to England, and they are easily reconciled to 

 captivity, becoming very tame and confiding pets ; at times 

 they coo in a moaning way, whence their trivial Spanish name 

 of iorillo or little bull. They also have another single note, 

 much like that of the female Quail, but less loud." 



Nest. — A slight hollow in the ground, scantily lined with dry 

 grass and sheltered by a bush, &c. 



Eggs. — Four in number ; broad ovals ; ground colour, dirty 

 white, thickly spotted and blotched with reddish-brown, dark 

 brown, and greyish-lilac; average measurement, I'l by o"8 

 inch. 



suB-sp. A. smith's bustard-quail, turnix lepurana. 



Otiygis kpuratia, Smith, Rep. Exp. Centr. Afr. App.p.55 (1836). 

 Hemipodius lepurana, Smith, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr pi. xvi. (1838). 

 Tiirtiix lepurana, Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 539 



(1^93)- 



Adult Male and Female. — Diflfer from T. sylvatka only in being 

 smaller. 



M^/d— Total length, 5 inches ; wing, 2*9; tail, 1-5; tarsus, 

 0-8. 



Female— ToX.^ length, 5-7 inches; wing, 3*2; tail, 17; 

 tarsus, o'9. 



Kange. — Africa south of about 13^ north latitude; recently 

 obtained at Aden. 



HaMts. — No doubt the habits of this species are very similar 

 to those of T. sylvatica. Mr. C. J. Andersson writes :— "This 

 species is not uncommon in Great Namaqua Land during the 

 rainy season ; but I have never found many of these birds to- 

 gether, and it is rarely that more than one of them is flushed 

 at a time. Their favourite resorts are rank grassy spots in the 

 neighbourhood of temporary rain-pools and periodical water- 

 courses ; here they run about with great celerity, and, when 



