T K T 



T I 



of plants torm the food of this Mod-arouse: but its wild 



nmlurr an-1 the barren place* winch r 



to obseiration; and little or nothing i its habits. 



The nest u a hollow in the earth, HI 



mmrk. the egg*, newly of the same tin at each ml, of an 



Isabella grey, maikud with small brown point* ajid large 



black patches, are only two or three, a small numl : 



f*nd with those of the majority of the Tttraontd*. 



I'ln-Ullnl Sud Grcnur. mU- and fnule. (Uould.) 



AFRICAN GROUSE. 



Dr. Andrew Smith remarks, that though we iiiul .; 

 of Plerocle* hcvontl (!:< contincs i,f Aliica. yet the majority 

 of those now known are peculiar to that quarter of the 

 globe. The regions south of the equator, he observe-. 

 have furnished nearly us many species as those to the north 

 of it ; and he thinks" that both will doubtless afford many 

 additional ones when the yet unknown districts -hull have 

 been thoroughly explored. Each of the known species, as 

 far as his observations go, has limited range : and should 

 the range of such a* inhabit the unexplored tracts of the 

 interior not be greater, he i* of opinion that we may in 

 time expect great additions to the following list of known 

 species which he gives: 



Pteroelftarenariu^Temm., Barbary and Senegal : /'/>- 

 roc/ft guttatus, Licht., Egypt : /'/ ilririiirtiix. 



Temm., Senegal ; Pterocles cornnalmt. Licht.. Nubia: l'/f- 

 roctei Lichtentteinii, Temm., Nubia: Ptrrorlcx trii'im-tn*. 

 Swain., Senegal; Pternclrt tanulu*, Temm., Egypt and 

 Senegal; Pteroclrt Turhypetm. Temm., South Africa: 

 Ptenttft bicinctus. Teiuiu.. Smith Al'riea: I'tri-m-li'* xnii- 



\. South Africa: !'!" 

 South Africa : Ptrrnrftt i- 

 It will tx- seen thnt I'lernrlf* *>' 



BMigns North Africa as a locality, is not in Dr. Smith's list. 

 select as an example I'trrnrlfs nuttiir'ili*. Smith. 



Miilr. Top of the head dull green, faintly 

 il with black; sides of the head m:d chin straw- 

 ycllnw: eyebrow* yellowish-white: f\m- I the 



en and bill black; neck, breast, and a portion of each 

 houkier intermedia' n nil-irrcen and sulphur- 



v.-llow; l)aw of all the feathers pearl-grey: immediatelv 

 behind the vellow chin, the throat and si'des of 1h' 

 are crowed oy a deep brownish-black crescent. Inter- 

 xcapulars and senpulnrs clouded with pale reddish-brown, 

 pearl-grty. niul bluinli-blaek or brownish-black, the latter 

 r n)ly prevailing ' "ie (mills. upper 



. ith lumvn, and 

 h is found with a jel- 



lownh tint at the base, and v. ith a strong satin lustre. 

 Seeondnry win:- Dutch and 



rc<lii with the bae antl a tile portion 



of the inner vane of each p<-arl-i:rry : primary wing- 

 corertiiand all ' ularie.s 



narrowly tipped wi" ickish- 



brown, th. ne edged with penrl-irrcv, and all. 



:>t the two middle on '!i the same 



r a* the secondary quill-cm i rtv Hi-ll\ and under 

 tail-coverts between chestnut and reddish-brown. Hill and 

 dawn dark horn-colour; eyes dark brown ; toes green i si i- 

 brown. Wings when folded nearly reaching the tip of the 

 tail; frrt qnill-fenthpr rather longer than the -. 

 longest of the tertiariex intermediate between the sixth 

 and wrenth quill-feathers; tail wedge-shaped. II 

 IKkMIe feathers rather the longest and acuminated at their 

 extremities; outer and irner foes of equal length. Total 

 length 12 inches 6 lines. 



ftmalf. Top of the head brownish-black, (potted with 

 nttty-whitc ; back of the m-ck dull en am-vellow. : 

 dached with brown : Miles of the neck anil thioir 

 honey-jrellow ; back, tlioiiUU-n. and breast biownish-hlack. 

 with large eream-colouretl spots: bellv dee], hlack. liarred 

 with iiale chestnut. I'nder t:i 

 towwns their baws barred with black. Taf 



i. with partial bar* of light <-i, am-vellow ; and all. 



t the two middle feathers, tipped with pn 

 orange. Length 1 1| inches. (Smith.) 



PteroclM gutlarnlU : mlc and tcm\v. 



LnrttUlij. Fnntl. 11/1.1 Hr. Smith stalls th:\' 



species wiis first discovered in lat. !iV 4(1'. about eighty 

 miles to the eastward of I-ntakoo : and it was when he 



,ed its cry to ditfer from that uttered b-, 

 Tnrhyiii'tf*. Temm., that he was led to suspect that r 

 distinct. 1' '. in common with the other South 



African species of this genus, it repairs in large flocks at 

 10 localities where water is, and 



that at such times specimens nre most readily procured 

 but he warns the sportsman to be quick in his i< 



>. scarcely reach the water before they are again on 

 the ving. As they approach and recede from such - 

 they almost incessantly utter cries resembling Itcrt ttrrt, 



irrrt. 



Dr. Smith remarks, that from olisening 'best: birds 

 when they nre in quest of water, one would be disposed 

 to consider them grcuiirious. a notion 

 when their feeding-grounds arc discovered, tor then 

 are generally dispersed singly or in pairs, and the 

 sional congregation is only effected by solitary individuals 

 , joining others who arc on their way from a 

 'ttiirnlis seeks the water 



about ten in the morning and three in the afternoon, re- 

 sembling in this respect I'lrrni-li^ 7' which in- 



.1 ditl'crent part of the country. /'//') 



he tells us. drinks during the enrly pait ol the morning. 

 and /' 'ix in the dusk of the evening and 



%-irly part of the night. In such an arrangement, he ob- 

 serves, we must admit design ; for if all the various speow 



