AST. 17 EAST AFRICAN VERTEBKATES ^LOVERIDGE 35 



FRANCOUNUS SEPHAENA GEANTU Hartlaub 



GRANT'S CRESTED FRANCOLIN 



More than 50 of these little partridgelike francolin were brought 

 in. They took to captivity very naturally, though when confined in 

 boxes — perhaps because of overcrowding or dietetic deficiency — they 

 picked the feathers off each other's heads and necks till they were 

 quite bare. When turned out into a run they ceased this vice. 

 For the first few da3^s in the run, however, many of them poked their 

 heads against the wire netting until they bled all round the bases of 

 their beaks. A month later some of them had scratched a hole 

 under the wne netting and strayed out to the larger inclosure sur- 

 rounded by piled-up thorn bush. Here a score of them were discov- 

 ered, scratching and feeding, by a native whose sudden appearance 

 caused them to rise in a covey and fly over the 6-foot high inclosure 

 away to the open thorn bush. The astonishing thing was that at 

 sunset most if not all of them flew back into the thorn inclosure and 

 were found running round their wire-netted " home," trying to get in. 



With three exceptions 8,11 were recaptured the same night; of the 

 others, one was killed and eaten by some unknown carnivore; the 

 remaining two were caught next day. (Dodoma, vi. 26.) 



Three days ago disease appeared among these francolin, but does 

 not seem to be spreading to the bustard, guinea fowl, or other occu- 

 pants of the run. On the first day two died, yesterday six, to-day 

 four. It appears to be an infection of the mouth which makes them 

 disinclined to feed; this is followed by blindness in one or both 

 eyes. (Dodoma, 14. viii. 26.) 



Grant's francolin are very plentiful here and have astonished me 

 by the way they will remain squatting in the grass. On one occasion 

 I paused with two natives to examine a herd of giraffe. We crouched 

 in short grass for five minutes, and it was only as I rose to go that a 

 brace of bush fowl whirred away. The whole time they had been 

 within 4 feet of us. The stomach contents of two birds were examined 

 and found to chiefly consist of small reddish and very hard seeds, 

 together with some green matter and an admixture of insects' (? ter- 

 mites) legs. (Saranda, 14. vii. 26.) 



EUPODOTIS CANICOLLIS CANICOLLIS (Reichenow) 



WHITE-BEILIED KNORHAAN 



Shot a cock calhng at 9 o'clock in the morning. (Nzingi, 26. v, 

 26.) 



A fine bird in beautiful condition purchased this week is doing well 

 on chopped meat. (Dodoma, 7. viii. 26.) 



