OTIS RUFICRISTA. 



the base, dark horn coloured towards the point ; legs intermediate between 

 pale straw and wine-yellow; eyes reddish brown. 



Form. — Neck long ; body slender ; nuchal crest about two inches long, 

 depressed and formed of fine silky feathers ; wings, when closed, extend 

 over the first half of the tail ; the innermost tertiaries longer than the primary 

 quill feathers ; — the second, third, and forth primaries nearly of equal length ; 

 the first rather shorter. The tail rounded at its extremity ; outer and inner 

 toes nearly of equal length. 



Inches 



Length from tlie point of the bill to the 



tip of the tail 22 



of the tail 5| 



of the wings when folded 1 1 



ofthebill 2 



DIMENSIONS. 



Inches. Lines. 



Length of the tarsus 3 9 



of the outer toe 8 



of the middle toe 1 



of the inner toe C 



The female differs so much from the male, that we shall give a figure and 

 description of her in a future number. 



This species was first discovered in the vicinity of Latakoo, where it arrested our attention 

 by the peculiarity of its cry, which was intermediate between the harsh Mr hir hac, of the Otis 

 Afra, Lin. and the croak of the Otis Vigorsi Smith. Besides the difference in the tone of its 

 cry, it also uttered its calls less frequently than the former, and, as far as we observed, only 

 while flying ; thus in the first peculiarity approaching the latter mentioned species, and in the 

 other differing from both. When disturbed, it flies but a short distance before it alights, 

 and when that has once happened, it is no easy task to start it a second time, owing to its 

 habit of squatting among the grass, and remaining tranquil even when almost touched by the 

 feet of the sportsman. It appeared almost exclusively restricted to grassy plains, and rarely 

 occurred in districts supplied with brushwood, from which circumstance only one or two speci- 

 mens were observed to the north of 25°. Insects, small lizards, scolopendra, kc, seemed to 

 constitute its favourite food, and besides the remains of these, abundance of small gravel was 

 also found in the stomachs of the individuals we procured, which were but few, owing to the 

 specimens being rare, at least in the directions in which we travelled. 



