THE HELMETED GUINEA-FOWLS. 87 



on the hind-neck, that of the lower-neck milky-white. Total 

 length, 19 inches; w^ing, 87; tail, 6; tarsus, 2'9. 



Adult Female. — Similar to the male, but devoid of spurs. 



Range — West Africa, from Liberia to Gaboon. 



Like the Black Guinea-Fowl, this is one of the rarest birds 

 in European collections, and up to the present time nothing is 

 known regarding its habits. Mr. Biittikofer obtained several 

 examples during his expeditions to Liberia, but these were 

 bought from natives, who trap them in the bush-paths. Accord- 

 ing to native report, the Turkey4ike Guinea-Fowl, though well- 

 known, is very rare everyw^iere. 



THE HELMETED GUINEA-FOWLS. GENUS NUMIDA. 

 Numida^ Linn. S. N. i. p. 273 (1766). 

 Type. N. meleagris^ Linn. 



Head and neck naJzed ; a more or less elevated bo?ty helmet 

 covering the top of the head; a pair of wattles situated, one on 

 each side, behind the angles of the gape. 



Tail fairly long and somewhat rounded, composed of sixteen 

 feathers, the middle pair being rather longer than the outer 

 pair. Upper tail-coverts almost exte?iding to the end oi the tail. 



First primary flight-feather shorter than the second, which is 

 about equal to the tenth ; fifth slightly the longest. 



In all the species the general colour of plumage is black, spotted 

 tvith white^; the outer secondary quills 7iot white on the outer 

 web. 



Sexes similar in plumage. 



I. THE COMMON HELMETED GUINEA-FOV/L. NUMIDA 

 MELEAGRIS. 



Numida meleagris, Linn. S. N. i. p. 273 (1766); Gray, Gen. 

 Birds, iii. p. 501, pi. 128, fig. 2 (1845); ElHot, Monogr. 

 Phasian. ii. pi. 39 (1872); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. 

 Mus. xxii. p. 375 (1893). 



* Thp vvhite spots appear to be absent on the upper-parts of N. zechi. 



