238 TURNICID^: TUKNIX 



The following are localities : Cape division, July (S. A. Mus.), 

 Swellendam (Atmore), George (Bt. Mus.), Port Elizabeth and East 

 London (Eickard) ; possibly the other species (T. nana) and not the 

 present one may be met with at the two last- mentioned places, as it 

 (T. nana) has been noticed at King William's Town. 



Habits. This species is found sparingly in Cape Colony ; it is 

 generally solitary, though occasionally two may be seen together ; 

 it is found on grassy plains or among the reeds of dried- up vleis ; 

 when flushed it flies a short distance, quickly settles down again, 

 and then makes off at a run ; it feeds on seeds and insects, and is 

 usually very fat ; it is a resident. 



Atmore, who found a nest on a rocky mound near Swellendam, 

 states that the eggs are five in number ; examples in the South 

 African Museum obtained many years ago by Miss A. van der Byl 

 are very pointed at one end, of a yellowish-grey colour, very thickly 

 speckled with spots and blotches of a yellowish and darker brown ; 

 they measure -90 to -96 x '75 to -80. 



^ 



668. Turnix lepurana. Rurrichane Hemipode. 



Ortygis lepurana, Smith, Eep. Exp. Centr. Afr. p. 55 (1836). 

 Hemipodius lepurana, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 16 (1838). 

 Turnix lepurana, StricJcl. and P. L. Sclater, Contr. Ornitli. 1852, 

 p. 158 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 216 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 

 276 (1867) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaralantl, p. 249 (1872) ; 

 BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p, 387 ; Butler, Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, 

 p. 339 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 361 [Bechuanaland] ; Sharpe, ed. 

 Layard's, B. S. Afr. p. 608 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1885, p. 346, 1886, 

 p. 292 ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 333 ; Grant, Ibis, 1889, p. 462 ; 

 Nicolls and Eglington, Sx>ortsm. S. A. p. 107 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun 

 and Camera, p. 474 (1893) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 539 (1893) ; 

 Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 178 (1896) ; Grant, Game Bds. ii, p. 272 (1897) ; 

 Woodward Bros., Natal Bds. p. 166 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, 

 p. 263 ; Alexander, Ibid. p. 444 ; Beiclienow, Vug. Afr. i, p. 301 

 (1900) ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, i, p. 71, pi. vii, fig. 1 (1901). 

 " Riet-Quartel " of the Dutch, "Button-quail" of the English; also 

 applied to the other species of the genus; "Mabuaneng" of the 

 Basutos (Murray). 



Description. Adult Male. General colour above, brown, most 

 of the feathers with narrow wavy bars of black edged with white, 

 giving a scaly appearance to the whole ; a white band down the 

 middle of the head ; lores, sides of the head, and neck white, tipped 

 with black ; wing-quills ashy-brown, first primary conspicuously 

 edged with buff on the outer web ; chin and throat white ; sides of 



