OTID^ OTIS 297 



Length about 24 ; wing 14-0 ; tail 6-0 ; tarsus 3'6 ; culmen 1'45. 



A bird, which is probably a female, has a less extended throat 

 patch and a more marked narrow transverse bar across the tail ; 

 it is also smaller; wing 125; tarsus 3'3. Bill dark slate, whitish 

 on the base of the lower mandible ; feet dull chrome-yellow. 



Distribution. — The Vaal Knorhaan is found over the greater 

 part of the more open and central districts of the Colony, extending 

 to the upper parts of Natal according to Hutchinson, to the 

 neighbourhood of Barberton in the Transvaal according to Eendall, 

 and to Bechuanaland according to Bryden. 



Curiously enough, this species never seems to have been obtained 

 by Ayres during his many years of collecting in the Western Trans- 

 vaal, nor has it been noticed north of the Limpopo. The following 

 are localities : Cape Colony — Zoetendals Vlei in Bredasdorp and 

 Beaufort West (Layard), Little Namaqualand (Howard), Deelfon- 

 tein, resident (Seimund), Orange Eiver near Upington (Bradshaw), 

 Setlagoli near Mafeking (Bryden) ; Orange Eiver Colony — near 

 Odendaalstrom on the Orange Eiver (Whitehead), near Winburg 

 (Barratt) ; Transvaal — near Barberton (Eendall). 



Habits. — But little attention has been paid to this bird since 

 Layard wrote the following account : " It is usually found in pairs, 

 and prefers running among the scanty herbage and trusting to its 

 dusky plumage to effect its escape to taking to flight. If it fancies 

 itself unobserved, it will suddenly squat, and unless the spot is 

 correctly marked, so great is its similarity to the soil and stones 

 among which it is found that it is next to impossible to detect it. 

 It is so well aware of this, that it will remain immovable till the 

 sportsman walks towards it, on which it instantly takes flight ; but 

 if it is approached in a series of concentric circles, it remains until 

 the sportsman is within a few paces. It feeds on seeds, insects 

 and small reptiles, constructs no nest, but deposits two eggs in a 

 dipression of the soil on the open veld." 



Its voice is a crowing sound like " Kir-reck-a-rack-a-rack," 

 according to Nicolls and Eglington. 



Eggs in the South African Museum from Nelsport in Beaufort 

 West and Upington on the Orange Eiver, are nearly ovals of pale 

 brown to olive-brown ground colour, blotched somewhat sparingly 

 with darker brown of several shades. They measure 2-60 x 1'75. 



