Birds nf Gavihia. 39 



Bano'e. Africa, South of about 1.1 Noith T.at. Aden. (Ogil- 

 vie Grant). 'I 



I have twice seen small three-toed Quails shot here (one 

 ill May, the other in March) which must have been Turnices, and 

 almost certainly this species. They are distinctly smaller than the 

 commor. (^)uail, an 1 their most noticeable feature is the crescent shape 

 as they fly of tiieir wiiiers unl body. They cannot be common here. 

 OTIDIDJ^. 



In the Gambia there are three species of BUSTARD, which 

 vary in si/.e fiom about 3 to 20 lbs. in weij^ht. These,- T be- 

 believe to be Trachclotls scvegnlensis, Lissotis melannqaster and 

 Eupodotis arahs. Besides these tSiere is another much rarer and much 

 larger bird, which Captain Stanley, for many years Commissioner of 

 the Uppei- Kiver Province has once or twice seen, but never been 

 able to obtain. He tells me that on each occasion he at first mis- 

 took this "bii'd for an antelope standing in the grass, and that its 

 marker) whiskers made it easy to di^^tinguish from any other Bustard, 

 apart, altogether from its much larger size. This bird is probably 

 Neotls denJiami. 



The two first named species are resident here and may be 

 founci almost anywliere in the Protectorate, but the larger species 

 are only winter visitors and never approach any nearer the coast 

 than the country aToout McCarthy Island. 



All are locally known here as "Bush -Turkeys," or Tby their 

 native names, " Kunko-Duntung " (=Farm-cock) in Mandingo, and 

 " Gemet " in Joloff. They afTord excellent eating, but not being 

 really common are only obtainable as an occasional luxury. They 

 seem to be very thin-skinned birds and take very little killing; 

 as apparently a single pellet at an almost impossible range will 

 bring one down stone dead, the fall no doubt finishing the shot's 

 work. Ve:/ different in this respect are the Bush-fowl, which must 

 be hard hit to be killed and can carry away a lot of shot without 

 any sign of faltering. 



Oui four species in order of size are: — 



Trachelotis senegalensis. SENEGAL BUSTARD. 



Eange. Senegambia; north east Africa. (R.L.) 



These Bustards may be met with in suitable localities all over 

 the Protectorate. They haunt fairly open countiy, preferably at some 

 little elevation above the liverside level. Such places are more usual 

 along our boundary and in the neighbouring parts of French territory, 

 so thac they are much more frequently met with there than closer to 

 the river. The edges of the large cleared cultivated areas and the 

 extensive tracts of ironstone upland, where these are clothed with 

 grass or thin bush, are their favourite abiding places. This species, 

 I believe, breeds with us, while the others do not. They feed mainly 

 on insects and the like, but supplement this diet with various seeds 

 and berries. The weight of the male is about 41bs, the female 

 about. 31bs. 



