PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 203 



650. Francolinus levaillanti. Gape Bedwing. 



Perdix levaillanti, Valeno. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxviii, p. 441 (1825). 



Perdix levaillantoides, Smith, Rep. Eicped. C'entr. Afr. p. 55 (1836). 



Francolinus levaillanti, Smith, Illus. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 85 (1843) ; 

 Gm-ney, Ibis, 1864, p. 354, 1865, p. 274 [NatalJ ; Layard, B. S. Afr. 

 p. 270 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 375 ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 

 1882, p. 388 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 596 (1884) ; Bryden, 

 Kloof and Karoo p. 313 (1889) ; Grant, Ibis, 1890, p. 347, 1892, 

 p. 45 ; SchaecTc, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 338 (1891) ; Distant, 

 Transvaal, p. 75 (1892) ; Nicolls Sf Eglington, Sportsin. S. Afr. 

 p. 100 (1892) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 154 (1893) ; id. Game 

 Bds. i, p. 119 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896) ; Woodward 

 Bros., Natal Birds, p. 161 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 484 

 (1901) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 235. 

 "Redwing" of the Colonists, "Hill EedYS-ing " of Natal, "Itendele" 

 of the Ztdus (Miliar). 



Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head dusky-brown, 

 bounded on each side by a superciliary stripe of black and white 

 feathers, which extend down on both sides and coalesce in the 

 middle of the nape and run on to the mantle, separating the 

 rufous neck patches ; general colour of the upper surface brown 

 and black with narrow transverse bars of pale rufous and longitu- 

 dinal shaft stripes of a somewhat, lighter shade ; primaries, their 

 coverts and secondaries light chestnut, slightly mottled with brown 

 at the tips ; space in front of the eye continued above it and the 

 ear-coverts to a considerable patch on either side of the neck 

 rusty-brown, below this is a narrow line of black and white feathers 

 running from the lores below the eye, through the ear-coverts and 

 down the neck to the upper breast, there forming a considerable 

 patch of white feathers edged and tipped with black ; centre portion 

 of the chin and throat white, surrounding portion pale rusty ; rest 

 of the lower surface pale buff, the feathers of the breast edged with 

 chestnut ; those of the flanks and under tail-coverts barred with 

 very dark brown. 



Iris hazel; bill dusky yellow at the base; legs dull yellow; 

 spurs present or absent, but generally small. 



Length 13-0; wing 6-55 ; tail 3-0 ; tarsus 1-7; culmen 1-1. 

 - The sexes are alike, but the female is usually without spurs. 



Distribution.— 'ihQ Cape Eedwing is not found north of the Lim- 

 popo, and seems to be most abundant in Cape Colony. Even here 

 it is somewhat local, being chiefly confined to the southern districts, 

 and it does not appear to reach the more westerly or north-western 



