146 On Francolinus Hildebrandti and Pternistes Humboldti. 



collis is black with a white edge to each feather *, as well as 

 by the white head-feathers, which have a black shaft-streak 

 and a black border, whilst in P. nudicoUis these feathers are 

 grey, with a black shaft-streak but no border." 



Reichenow supplements these remarks (J. f . O. 1 890, p. 77) 

 by saying : — "P. Humboldti cannot possibly be the same as 

 P. leucoparceus, and should rather be united with P. nudi- 

 coUis, which last species it resembles in having the cheeks 

 striped with black, while in P. leucoparceus they are white ; 

 besides, it is much smaller." 



The possibility of P. leucoparceus being the adult of P. 

 Humboldti is not apparently entertained by either of the 

 above writers ; nevertheless there can be no doubt that this 

 is so. 



The translation of the original description of P. Humboldti 

 given by Peters (Mon. Ak. Berl. 1854, p. 134) is as follows : — 

 u Francolinus Humboldtii,n . sp. — Mandible, ophthalmic region, 

 chin, throat, and feet blood-red ; upper parts brown, orna- 

 mented with black spots and bars; sides of the neck white, 

 with lanceolate black spots ; front of the neck and breast 

 greyish buff, with black spots ; feathers of the thighs black, 

 white in the middle. Total length 12*4 inches, bill 1*04, 

 wing 6"4, tarsus 1*9(), middle toe with nail P68. Tette." 



From this description, as well as from the above remarks 

 made from the type specimen in Berlin by the afore-men- 

 tioned writers, I gather without doubt that the type of P. 

 Humboldti is a young bird ; and, in fact, I have before me an 

 immature specimen trom Dar-es-Salaam [no. 3 infra'] which 

 agrees almost exactly with Peters' s description, but is some- 

 what older. The British Museum collection contains four 

 specimens of P. Humboldti, on which I make the following 

 notes, clearly proving the identity of P. leucoparceus with this 

 species : — 



No. 1 ( ? ), ad., Zambesi (Sir J. Kirk). — Most of the feathers 

 in the centre of the breast and belly black ; feathers of the 

 back with dark shaft-streaks, some of the scapulars and outer 

 secondaries barred and spotted with black ; feathers behind 

 the gape white, on the sides of the neck black with white 

 edges; no spurs. Wing 6*7, tarsus 21. 



* In fully adult specimens of P. nudicoUis the feathers from the angle 

 of the mouth and ou the fore part of the cheeks are jet-black ; it is only 

 in younger specimens that they are edged with white. In P. Humboldti 

 the young have the feathers on these parts white with black shaft-streaks, 

 while in the adult they are pure white. 



