2178 



THE GAME BIRDS AND RAILS 



more or less spotted with white according to age; there is a white band below the 

 eye, and a wide chestnut ring surrounds the neck, while the top of the head and 

 wings are dark brown edged with buff, and the lower back and rump black narrowly 

 barred with white. The female has the chestnut collar confined to the nape, and 

 the general color of the upper parts browner, while the sides of the head are buff 

 shading into white on the throat, and the under parts white mixed with buff and 

 barred with black. This bird, in common with all the francolins, loves valleys 



A COVEY OF GRAY PARTRIDGES. 



where high grass and jungle are interspersed with cultivated ground. Although the 

 males and females of this and several other species differ considerably in plumage, 

 in the great majority of cases they are very much alike; an instance of this occurring 

 in two closely-allied African species. Thus, while the male of the Natal francolin 

 (F. natalensis} has the under parts white with V-shaped black marks on the feathers, 

 and is similar to the female, in the allied Hildebrand's francolin (F. hildebrandi) 

 from Kilima-Njaro, and the Johnston's francolin (F. johnstoni) from the Shire high- 



