133 ^y<^y->'''^''ffo\Fm^^ 



Wimoptilus africamis sharpei Erlaugexv, Jomrn. QrrjL l'J05, '^ \ 

 p. 60: Damaraiand (Liibbert). I ■^^'- 1^192] ^j 



RhINOPTILUS AFKIOANUS GR^^//'^^^^ JVluSSN^^^ 



Rhinoptilus africanus sharpei Grant (nee E rlangef)', 'HSls, 

 1915, p. 61. 



Mr. W. L. ScLATER also communicated the following note 

 on the Red-necked Francolin {Ptemistes afer), with a de- 

 scription of a new subspecies: — 



Dr. Neumann pointed out so long ago as 1898 (J. f. 0. 

 p. 299) that Ogilvie-Grant in the Catalogue had mis- 

 applied the name Pternistes humboldti (Peters. Monatsb. 

 Akad. Berlin. 1854, p. 134 : Tete) to the Nyasaland bird, 

 which is distinguished by the ring of white feathers extending 

 round the bare throat-patch. From an examination of the 

 type from Tete, which was a young bird, and of another 

 example from Kilimane, he states that the feathers sur- 

 rounding the naked throat are black speckled with white, and 

 he figures the heads of the four races on a coloured plate. 

 In another note, published last year (J. f. 0. 1920, p. 76), 

 he shows that the name commonly used for the Gape Red- 

 necked Francolin, Pternistes nudicollis (Bodd.), is founded 

 on the plate in Daubenton (Planches Enl. ii. pi. 48. no. 180), 

 as is also Miiller's name Tetrao afer. In my opinion these 

 corrections and emendations must be accepted, and the fol- 

 lowing is a synopsis of the races as they should now be 

 recognised : — 



Pternistes afer afer. 



Tetrao afer P. L. S. Mliller, Syst. Nat. Suppl. p. 129 

 (1776) : Africa (founded on Buffon's plate). I suggest 

 Benguella as type-locality. 



Tetrao nudicollis Boddaert, Tabl. PI. Enl. p. 11 (1783) : 

 Africa (ex Daubenton's PL Enl. 180). 



Tetrao ruhricollis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i. pt. 1, p. 758 

 (1789) : Africa (also founded on PI. Enl. 180). • 



a2 



