1922.] tlte African FrancoUns. Ill 



5 D. Francolinus sephaena rovuma Gray. 



FrancoUnus rovuma Gray, List Gall. Brit. Mns. 6 Mcb. 

 18G7, p. 52 : Rovuma River. 



Francolinus kirkii Hartlaub, P. Z. S. 14 Nov. 1867, p. 827: 

 Zanzibar. 



Spotting confined to the throat. Feathers of flanks and 

 belly with strong longitudinal chestnut stripes on the end o£ 

 the shaft. A very dark coloured race with blackish patches 

 on the back. Should this form ever be found within the 

 limits of the previously mentioned races — and I do not 

 consider it impossible — then those races must be treated as a 

 distinct species-group. 



Specimens 11. Brit. Mus. 5 (2 types). Dr. Van Someren 6. 



Range. Coasts of Tanganyika Territory and northern 

 Portuguese East Africa. 



Note. — This race has been unfortunate in its choice of type- 

 localities. Gray founded his F. rovnnia on specimens of two 

 races, one from 'Rovuma,' the other a bird labelled 'E.Africa,' 

 which looks like an inland race. However, the Rovuma 

 specimen can be taken as the type, and the name, which has 

 eight months* jjrecedence of Hartlaub's, can stand. Hartlaub 

 chose as his type-locality Zanzibar, but the bird does not 

 apparently occur there at the present day, and there are 

 some doubts as to whether it ever did. 



5 E. Francolinus sephaena granti Hartl. 



Francolinus granti Hartlaub, P. Z. S. 18G5, p. G05 : 

 Unjamwezi, Tanganyika Territory. 



Francolinus ochrogaster Hartlaub, J. f. 0. 1882, p. 327 : 

 Upper Nile. 



Francolinus granti delutescens Mcarns, Smiths. Misc. Goll. 

 Ivi. 1911, No. 20, p. 3 : Base of Mt. Kenya. 



It is very difficult indeed to say what local forms are 

 worthy of recognition within eastern and east-central Africa. 

 The one thing is certain that the greater the material the 

 less does any given character a])pear locally constant. I 

 ])ersonally })roposc to unite under the above heading all 

 birds from the northern half of Tanganyika Territory, all 



