GUINEA FOWL 77 



Transvaal Department of Agriculture, are both instructive 

 and interesting. He considers these little gamebirds " great 

 locust-eaters," and is rightly opposed to their being bagged 

 in hundreds by reckless sportsmen. 



The Cape Quail (Coturnix africana) — the Kwartel of the 

 Dutch — does not need any description, being too well known 

 throughout the length and breadth of the land. 



It is an irregular migrant, appearing and disappearing 

 very suddenly. 



It lies very close, rising suddenly with a " whirr" of the 

 wings, and after a short but rapid flight settles as suddenly. 



It nests in long grass, or more generally in grain fields, 

 consequently many nests are destroyed by the reapers. The 

 number of eggs in a clutch varies from five to ten, and may 

 occasionally be as many as a dozen ; they are of a yellowish- 

 brown or brownish-yellow colour sometimes, spotted, but 

 more generally heavily blotched with liver- brown and pale- 

 brown. 



The male of the second and last species (the Harlequin 

 Quail — G. delagorguei) is easily recognisable by the black 

 throat and bright dark chestnut under parts, relieved by 

 a large black patch in the centre of the breast. The female 

 has the throat white and the lower surface chestnut mottled 

 with black. 



This species is similar to the Cape Quail in habits. 



A great influx into Mashonaland occurred in 1901 and 

 1902, an account of which was communicated to the 

 Proceedings of the Rhodesia Scientific Association by 

 Mr. Tredgold. 



GUINEA FOWL 



Birds of almost equal economic value in South Africa 

 are the Guinea Fowl (Numida). 



