On Gray's Bare-throated Francolin. 325


GRAY’S BARE-THROATED FRANCOLIN.


Pternistes leucosepus.


By L. M. Seth-Smith, B.A., M.B.O.U.


The African genus Pternistes, of which there are nine

species, is characterised by the curious throat being entirely

devoid of feathers ; also the bare patch round the eye is large and

conspicuous.


Seven of the species have the feathers of the back and

scapulars with dark brown or black shaft-stripes, while the

remaining two have the same feathers with white- shaft-stripes.


The subject of this article is one of the latter class and

inhabits North-East Africa, Abyssinia, and North Somaliland ;

the other, P. infuscatus, being a more southern representative,

and inhabiting East Africa from Mamboia northwards to

Kilimanjaro and Southern Somaliland.


Mr. Ogilvie-Grant thinks it probable that the two forms

intergrade in Somaliland.


At the beginning of March, Mr. F. C. Thorpe, the well

known Hull bird dealer, sent me on approval a male and two

female “ Abyssinian Francolins,” which were in such splendid

condition, and such fine birds altogether, that I bought them,

although I had been told that Francolins are fearful screechers.


The plumage of the sexes is similar and the feathers

being white with brown margins, give the birds a very

speckly appearance.


The skin round the eye is bright red and very conspicuous,

and that on the neck light orange. In spite of the plumage

being similar, the sexes can be easily distinguished by the male

being considerably larger than the female and having a pair of

sharp spurs, sometimes supplemented by a second blunted pair.


As soon as I obtained my birds I put them into an out¬

door aviary with some evergreen cover, of which they took full

advantage, being very shy. I planted turf also to give them

more cover later on, but they would not allow it to grow, eating

every green bitoff. They were fed almost entirely on malee,



