A 
90 LLOYD'S NATURAL HISTORY. 
Adult.—Tasily distinguished from all the preceding species 
by having a Cunch of horny bristles at the base of the upper man- 
dible ; otherwise much like VU. mztratfa ; inner webs of the 
primaries uniform, or more or less spotted with white * ; upper 
half of neck thinly covered with black feathers. Naked skin 
on side of head, neck, and wattles blue; helmet and bristles 
pale horn-colour. Total length, 19 inches ; wing, 11; tail, 6°4; 
tarsus, 3°2 ; middle toe (with claw), 2°7. 
Range.—Equatorial and North-east Africa. Tingasi, Shoa, 
Abyssinia and Bogos-land to Suakim, Sennaar, and Kordofan. 
Habits.— Mr. W. T. Blanford had many opportunities of study- 
ing the habits of this species during his travels in Abyssinia, 
and met with it throughout the country from the sea-coast 
itself to an altitude of at least 9,000 feet. He says that these 
birds keep much to craggy places, especially to rocky valleys, 
and often remain during the middle of the day on the sides 
of the steep or precipitous hills. They feed either in open fields 
or in woods amongst bushes, &c., in the morning and evening, 
and roost at night on high trees, a grove of lofty junipers being 
frequently selected for that purpose in the highlands. 
Throughout the winter and spring the Guinea-Fowls remain 
in large flocks, usually of 200 or 300 birds each. These sub- 
divide into smaller flocks to seek food during the day, but keep 
to one general tract of country, and unite again at night. Where 
not pursued, they are not particularly wary, and but little diffi- 
‘ culty is found in getting within gun-shot. 
In July and August the flocks divide into pairs, two or three 
of which are often found together, and the breeding-season 
commences. At this time the birds never appear to collect in 
large flocks ; he did not, however, happen to see any of the 
roosting-places. He shot a female containing a fully-formed 
egg on the 9th August. 
* The absence or presence of white spots is apparently purely individual, 
and has nothing to do with age or sex. 
