eT 
NUMIDA VERREAUXI. 585 
Guinea-fowl in South Africa with different habitats—one, N. 
coronata, inhabiting Hastern Africa and spreading out on the central 
plateau as far as its nearest points to West Africa; and the other 
NV. cornuta, essentially a more southern bird, crossing the Cunene 
River to the northward, and approaching the littoral region in the 
latitude of Mossamedes. 
General colour, dark-grey, profusely spotted with round white 
spots; on the outer edges of the wing-feathers these spots are 
replaced by dashes; and on the neck they are very small, run into 
each other, and become indistinct bars ; head bare, with a casque in 
some specimens 1” 16’ in length; tip horny yellow; base, with top 
and back of head, cere, and tip of wattles pendant from base of 
upper mandibles, bright crimson; neck bare, sparsely sprinkled 
with hairs, and together with bare space round eye, brilliant sky- 
blue. Length, 16” to 17”; wing, 113’; tail, 6’. Mr. Ayres gives 
the following soft parts:—‘‘ Male. Iris dusky; bill, blood red, 
except the tip and under mandible, which are pale ash-coloured ; 
tarsi and feet black.” 
Fig. Elliot, Mon. Phas. ii. pl. 40. 
561. Nomipa verreauxt, Hiliot. Verreaux’s Guinea-Fowl. 
This fine crested Guinea-fowl, distinguished by its top-knot and 
by the colouring of the bare neck, is apparently confined to Natal. 
Here it was met with by the brothers Verreaux as long ago as the 
year 1827, and examples existed for a long time in Huropean 
Museums, but the species was always confounded with the West 
African N. cristata, from which it is different. 
Mr. Ayres writes : “‘ These fine Guinea-fowls I got in the month of 
July at Durban, Natal, where they were being hawked about the 
town by Caffre hunters as birds for the table, the flesh being 
uncommonly delicate and good. They frequent the densest bush 
immediately on the sea range, and are difficult to get; the best 
method is with dogs accustomed to hunt the bush, as the birds, 
when chased, take to the trees, and a good dog will bark until his 
master manages with much trouble to get to the spot through 
brambles, thorny bushes and nettles innumerable ; and then, if due 
care is taken to approach without noise, the birds may be potted 
from the tree, a flying shot being totally out of the question. The 
Guinea-fowls are to be found from the Bay of Natal northwards ; 
