BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



mist of the Museum. In this latter the length is 12V ; bill, 

 1" 1"' ; wing, 7" 5'" ; tail, 5J" ; tarsus, 1" ; middle toe and 

 claw, 1" 5'" ; hinder ditto, 9'". 



The collector may at once distinguish the species even on 

 the wing, by the white outside tail-feathers of T. Semitorqua- 

 tus : these are particularly visible when the bird alights, as 

 it then spreads its tail, probably to break its fall. 



510. Turtur Semitorquatus, Swain., Nat. Lib. 



1 1, p. 208 ; T. A Ibiventris, Gray; T. Risorioides, Temm. 

 GENERAL colour of the upper plumage, drab-brown ; nearly 

 of the same tint as the last ; but the top of the head and 

 nape, instead of being delicate French grey, is of the same 

 vinaceous as the under parts, the front, as is usual in this 

 family, being much paler ; behind the neck is a semi-circular 

 black collar, as in the last; the wing-covers are very light 

 cinereous, with whitish edges ; but this tint blends on the 

 scapulars into the drab-brown of the back ; the under plu- 

 mage is vinaceous, palest on the chin, and changing into a 

 cream-coloured white on the belly, vent, thighs, and under 

 tail-covers, these parts being of a full cinereous in the last 

 species ; the basal half of the four outei 1 pair of tail-feathers 

 is deep black ; the other portion is more or less white, accord- 

 ing to their distance from the two central pair, which are 

 drab-brown, tinged with cinereous ; on their under surface 

 the terminal half of these feathers is much whiter, and the 

 base much blacker ; bill black ; feet pale-red ; the orbits are 

 more feathered than in the last, and there is no red tinge on 

 the naked skin ; above all, the inner toe is one-twentieth of 

 an inch longer than the outer. In Erythrophrys this propor- 

 tion is almost reversed, or at least the inner toe is not even 

 equal to the outer. Total length, 10" ; bill gape, T 8 " ; wing, 

 5J" ; tail, base, 4" ; tarsus, hardly &" ; middle toe and 

 claw, A*- 



In specimens before us there are differences of admeasure- 

 ments equally as great as those quoted in the description of the 

 last species ; indeed, they are so apparent in some specimens 

 as to lead one almost to believe there are several races, if not 

 species. The same differences are also observable among our 

 Francolins, not attributable to locality or age, or any ascer- 

 tainable cause, as both large and small may be killed from 

 the same covey. 



T. Semitorquata is very abundant all over the colony ; T. Erythro- 

 phrys rather less so. Both frequent the same places, breeding even in 

 Cape Town. The nests are simply rude platforms of sticks, covered 



