200 PHASIANIDa; prancolinus 



Scleroptera pileata, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 247 



(1872). 

 "Inkwali " of the Zulus (MiUar). 



Description. Male. — Crown of the head dark olive-brown, 

 bounded on each side by a band of white, running back from 

 behind the eye ; centre of the back and wing-coverts rich chestnut 

 with conspicuous white shaft stripes ; quills dark brown with paler 

 outer webs ; rump and upper tail-coverts dark olive-brown ; central 

 tail-feathers brown, lateral ones almost black, dark chestnut towards 

 the base ; chin and throat white, cheeks spotted with pale rufous ; 

 under parts pale buff, the feathers of the lower parts of the 

 throat and upper breast with dark chestnut wedge-shaped shaft 

 spots, those of the lower breast and flanks finely pencilled with pale 

 brown. 



Iris hazel ; bill dark brown ; legs red, a sharp and stout spur on 

 the tarsus. 



Length 12-25 ; wing6'4 ; tail 3'55 ; culmen -95 ; tarsus 1-9. 



The female differs from the male in having no spurs and in 

 the centre of the back, wing and tail-coverts being finely barred 

 and vermiculated with brown and black. Young males resemble 

 the females, but are provided with spurs. 



Distribution. — The Crested Francolin, like the Coqui, was also 

 first discovered by Sir Andrew Smith, in very much the same 

 country, i.e., the Marioo and Eustenburg districts of the Transvaal. 

 It is spread over Bechuanaland, as far as the Zambesi and Southern 

 Angola in one direction, and in the other as far as Zululand and 

 Southern Mozambique. In Bast Africa it is replaced by other closely 

 allied species. 



The following are localities: Zululand — Dukuduku bush 

 (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Marico and Limpopo Elvers (Smith, 

 Ayres and Gates), Lehtaba Eiver in Zoutspansberg (W. Ayres) ; 

 Bechuanaland — Kanye (Exton in S. A. Mus.), Macloutse Eiver 

 (Gates), Gokwe Eiver (Ayres) ; German South-west Africa — 

 Gkamabute (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa— Mefcacania and 

 Mesangue on the Zambesi (Alexander), Inhambane (Peters). 



Habits. — The Crested Francolin seems everywhere to be a some- 

 what scarce bird. It is shy and retiring, and is generally to be 

 found in the dense undergrowth running along the banks of rivers ; 

 it usually occurs in small coveys and is difiicult to flush ; it takes 

 refuge in trees, and there with crest erect and tail uplifted it gives 

 vent 10 a harsh metallic " Chiraka." Like others of the genus, its 



