TETRAONID^. 271 



niMi-kings, the uiiiuterrupled broad, rufous bands of the neck, 

 and black, mottled collar. 



General colour ^rej^ mottled on the back with very dark 

 markin'';s on each feather ; down the centre of which, and ou 

 the shaft, is a ratlier broad light buff stripe, incliniiior offceu- 

 times to white ; top of head mottled-brown ; a narrow white 

 band, much mottled with black, extends from the nostrils 

 over each eye, unites at the back of the head, and extending 

 down to the nuchal collar behind ; a similar band extends 

 from the same place under the eye across the ear, and sweeps 

 round to the chest, where it extends into a broad crescent- 

 shaped gorget ; between these two bands is one of deep 

 orange rufous, enclosing the eye, widening as it passes over the 

 ear, and spreading backwards to the nuchal collar and for- 

 ward to the gorget ; the fore part of the throat is of the 

 same colour ; the chin albescent; below the gorget, the chest, 

 belly, and flanks are beautifully mottled with deep rufous, 

 and brown ; wing-feathers, inside, deep rufous. Length, 

 13"; wing, 6" 6'"; tail, 3" 3'". 



This very handsome bird is in the Western districts extremely local, 

 frequenting isolated spo^s, generally secluded vallies between high 

 mountain ranges, through which flows a mountain stream. In tho 

 palmiet which crowds the morasses formed by the unrestrained waters, 

 and crouching amid the tufts of coarse grass and reeds, these birds 

 may be found ; and I have often killed one with my first barrel, and a 

 snipe with the second. 



They lie very close, and on several occasions I have actually parted 

 the grass under the pointer's nose to allow the birds lo rise. If 

 flushed a second time and well marked down, they may often be 

 caught with the hand, as they will hardly rise as;ain. In dry weather 

 they keep so close to the dense palmiet, that if is impossible to 

 get them out. I am informed that in the Eastern districts it affects 

 the hUl sides, and does not frequent morasses. This I found to be the 

 case at Grootvadersbosch, except that the places in which they lived 

 were always covered with long grass and rushes, indicating that they 

 were always more damp than the surrounding country, and in the 

 rainy season were probably swamps. 



Mr. Atmore makes the following observations on these birds : — 

 " Here's a query for you about partridges. The drought appeared to 

 have nearly destroyed them, particularly the red-wings, and now they 

 are swarming. They could not have increased so much in the time, and 

 I can't make out where they come from We had a little work near 

 Heidelberg, and in one kloof, say one mile long, we saw more than 

 one hundred birds. From that place we went to Eiversdale : killed five 

 out of the cart ; between Eiversdale and G-ouritz River, killed seven and 

 one korhaan ; between Gouritz Eiver and Blanco fifteen, and shot only 

 what presented thesnselves. On this journey we killed more than I 

 saw altogether in two years of the drought. Again, two years ago, in 

 this Outeniqualand, Eed Kestrils were numberless, preying upon 

 locusts. Last year rain had fallea, and very few Kestrils were seen, 



