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THE BIRDS OF ETHIOPIAN AFRICA 



feeds the female. The young remain helpless for about five or six months, 

 sometimes even longer. 



The game-birds of Ethiopia include several kinds of francolin, 

 together with the guinea-fowls (Numididce), which, unlike the former, 

 are exclusively confined to the African continent. Among the francolins, which 

 are members of the pheasant family, the widely spread genus Francolinus has a 



Game-birds. 



SECRETARY-BIRD. 



number of Ethiopian species, such as F. coqui of the Cape, F. schlegeli of the equa- 

 torial region, F. kirki and F. granti of East Africa, F. guttu/ralis of Abyssinia and 

 Somaliland, and F. albigidaris of Senegambia. This genus also occurs in India, 

 but- Ptemistes, with several, and Ptilopachys, with one species, are solely African. 

 Among the Numididce the common guinea-fowl {Numida meleagris), of the west 

 coast from Senegambia to the Gabun, is the original stock of the domesticated bird, 

 and has been acclimatised in the West Indies and elsewhere. It has the well-known 

 black and white spotted plumage, but the upper part of the body is marked with 



