THE BARE-THROATED FRANCOLINS. 1 35 



XLIV. ERCKEL'S FRANCOLIN. FRANCOLINUS ERCKELI. 



Perdix erckelii, Riippell, Neue Wirbelth. p. 12 (1835). 

 Francolinus erckelii, Des Murs, in Lefebvre's Voy. en Abyss. 



p. 144, pi. 11 (1845); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 



xxii. p. 172 (1S93). 

 Francolinus erkelii, Auct. passim ; Blanford, Geol. and Zool. 



Abyss, p. 423 (1870). 



Adult Male. — General colour above greyish-brown, each 

 feather of the back and wing-coverts margined with dark chest- 

 nut ; scapulars with whitish shaft-stripes; under-parts grey, 

 shading into whitish, with an oblong dark chestnut, sometimes 

 blackish, spot at the extremity of the shaft ; bill black ; feet 

 yellowish. Two pairs of equally developed, stout, sharp, spurs. 

 Total length, 17 inches; wing, 8-5 ; tail, 4*8; tarsus, 2*4. 



Adult Female. — Differs from the male in having the scapulars, 

 tail-coverts, and tail-feathers more barred with wavy black and 

 buff bars, and the feet without spurs. 



Range. — North-east Africa; Bogosland and Eastern Abys- 

 sinia to Shoa, and westwards to Wogara, 2,500 to 11,000 feet. 



THE BARE-THROATED FRANCOLINS. GENUS 

 PTERNISTES. 



Fternistes, Wagler, Isis, 1832, p. 1229. 



Type, P. nudicollis (Bodd.). 



The characters which distinguish this genus are the same as 

 those of Francolinus, but the throat is naked, and the naked 

 patch round the eye is large and conspicuous. 



The nine species comprising this genus may be divided into 

 tw r o sections : — 



A. Feathers of the back and scapulars with dark-brown or 

 black shaft-stripes (species 1 to 7, pp. 136-140). 



B. Feathers of the back and scapulars with white shaft- 

 stripes (species 8 and 9, pp. 140-141). 



