by Mr. Claude Grant in South Africa. 47 



hardly vertical and conical as it is in the Zambesi bird 

 in the British Museum obtained by Sir John Kirk. 



A young bird from Tambarara, dated March 16, and 

 sexed a female, is at an interesting stage. The crown, «'hich 

 just shews the commencing helmet, is covered by dark 

 brown down with a narrow lighter band on either side. The 

 bill is quite black and the throat whitish ; the lappets can 

 just be seen sprouting, while round the lower part of the 

 neck there are a good many lancet-shaped feathers edged 

 with dusky. I have seen no traces of these in the adult. 

 Altogether it is a very different-looking bird. 



['' Tarentaal " of the Dutch. " Mpongele " of the Zulus. 

 "Mpongele'^ or "Timongele " of the Machopees and jNIachan- 

 gaans. '^Nkanga" of the Ntebis, Gorongozas, andNyungwis. 



I have seen or taken this species in every locality 

 visited in Eastern and East-Central South Africa. It 

 is found equally on the high and low veld, but is far 

 more plentiful in the latter, always, however, keeping to 

 country that is more or less bushed. In the mornings and 

 late afternoons the l)irds are found in flocks of from fifty 

 to sixty on the natives^ lands, where they can generally be 

 approached within shot ; during the greater part of the day 

 they rest in the forests and thickets. They are also a certain 

 find just at sunrise and again at sundown, when they line 

 down to the rivers to drink. Guinea-fowl apparently keep 

 in flocks throughout the year, so that it is difficult to say 

 in what month they breed, and at no locality was I able 

 to secure eggs, although immature birds were shot in most 

 months. Both the Dutch and Zambesian names are derived 

 from the call, the latter being especially expressive. 



In the young birds the coloration of the soft parts is very 

 diflerent from that of the adults. The young have the irides 

 almost white, all the soft parts of the head and neck being 

 dull slaty, and the beak very dark also, entirely lacking any 

 red colour. In the adults the irides are dark brown, bare skin 

 round the eyes almost emerald-green, rest of bare skin of head 

 and neck below the eyes and the base of wattles much 

 duller and darker ; throat whitish ; round nostrils^ crest, 



