South-eastern Sierra Leone. 215 



For their kindly assistance in naming the skins that I 

 have brought home and in giving me useful information as to 

 what birds to look for more particularly, I have to thank 

 both Dr. Bowdler Sharpe and Captain Shelley. 



[Considering the number of years that Sierra Leone has 

 been a British Protectorate, it is somewhat surprising that 

 so little has been done towards a history of its Fauna, and 

 Mr. Kemp's contribution is very welcome. Sir Edward 

 Sabine procured examples of a few species of birds from 

 this district (such as Chaunonotus sabinei), and Louis Fraser 

 obtained a few others, such as Pitta pulih. Sundevall de- 

 scribed in 1849 the collection made by Professor Adam 

 Afzelius sixty years before, and a few specimens collected 

 by Dr. Clarke were sent to Mr. Samuel Stevens, and were 

 mostly purchased by the late Marquis of Tweeddale, though 

 some passed into the collections of Captain Shelley and myself. 

 The Avifauna of the adjoining .Republic of Liberia has been 

 so effectively worked out by Dr. Biittikofer that it is highly 

 necessary that we should have an equal knowledge of the 

 birds of Sierra Leone, and Mr. Kemp has certainly made an 

 interesting commencement of this task. — R. B. S.] 



1. Francolinus lathami. 



Francolinus lathami Hartl. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxii. p. 139 

 (1893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 23 (1899) ; Reichen. Vdg. 

 Afrikas, i. p. 498 (1901). 



Bo, June 1904. Irides dark brown ; bill and claws black ; 

 feet chrome-yellow. 



This is a rare species in the Sierra Leone district. 



2. Francolinus ahantensis. 



Francolinus ahantensis Temm. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxii. p. 171 

 (1893) ; Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 25 (1899) ; Reichen. Vog. 

 Afrikas, i. p. 470 (1901). 



Rotifunk, October 1902. Feet scarlet. 



This is quite a scarce bird. Of nearly a hundred Francolins 

 which I have been able to handle, one only was of this red- 

 legged species, all the rest being F. thornii, which has green 

 legs. 



q 2 



