434 



GAME-BIRDS. 



bristles at the base of the upper mandible. The left-hand figure of our illustration 

 on p. 433 represents the crested guinea-fowl (Guttera cristata), one of four species 

 belonging to a group characterised by having a well-developed crest of black feathers, 

 the general colour of the plumage being black spotted with pale blue, and the first 

 four or five secondary quills margined with white, thus producing a white band 



along the wing 

 when closed. The 

 present species is 

 further character- 

 ised by the uniform 

 black collar cover- 

 ing the upper part 

 of the chest, and 

 by the naked skin 

 of the head and 

 neck being cobalt- 

 blue, except on the 

 chin and throat, 

 which are red. 

 This is another 

 West African form, 

 ranging from 

 Sierra Leone to 

 the Gold Coast, its 

 habits being very 

 similar to those 

 of the common 

 o-uinea-fowl. Al- 



O 



lied forms of both 

 these genera are 

 found in both 

 Southern and 

 Eastern Africa, but 

 need no special 

 mention. 



Vulture-like The 

 Guinea-Fowl. v U 1- 

 ture - like guinea- 

 fowl (A cry Ilium 



vidturinum) is a native of Eastern Africa, possibly ranging into West Africa. 

 The head and upper half of the neck are naked, and covered with cobalt-blue skin, 

 with the exception of a horse-shoe-shaped band of velvety reddish brown feathers 

 round the nape. The feathers of the neck, chest and mantle are developed into long 

 black pointed hackles, with white shaft-stripes and cobalt margins ; the rest of the 

 upper-parts being black, minutely dotted all over with white, and covered with 

 small round black-edged spots ; the sides and flanks are also similarly marked, but 



VULTURE-LIKE GUINEA-FOWL PERCHING. 



(From Sclater, List of Animals in Zoological Gardens.) 



