FRANCOLINUS GARIEPENSIS. 



ORANGE RIVER FRANCOLIN. 



(Plate 21.) 



Francolinus gariepensis, Smith, Zool. S. Afr., iii, pp. 83 and 84 

 (1849) ; Sharpe's ed. Layard Birds of S. Afr., p. 599 (187-584) 

 (part) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsman in S. Afr., p. 101 

 (1892) ; Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxn, p. 165 (1893) ; 

 id., Game-Birds, i, p. 120 (1895); Reichenow, Vogel Afrikas, i, 

 p. xii (1900-01) ; Sclater, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., in, p. 354 (1905) ; 

 Sclater and Stark, Birds of S. Afr., iv, p. 205 (1906). 



Local Name. " Redwing " of the Colonists applied to this species 

 as weU as to Francolinus shelleyi and F. levaillanti. 



Desceiption. Adult male as in figure. Length about 13 in. The 

 female differs from the male in being without spurs, though 

 sometimes possessing a blunt knob in their place. 



DiSTBiBTTTioN. The Orange River Francolin was first obtained by 

 Sir A. Smith at the head-waters of the Caledon River, in what is 

 now Basutoland ; it has not been found south of the Orange River ; 

 northwards it occurs through Griqualand West, Bechuanaland, 

 the Orange River Colony and the Southern Transvaal, its place 

 being taken by other closely allied species to the eastwards and 

 westwards. 



Sergt. C. G. Davies informs me that he met with a few at Ahwal 

 North during the early part of the war. 



On the kopjes which surround the Potchefstroom Commonage 

 and round their bases, Orange River Francolins are quite 

 common and I have shot numbers of them. It is useless to 

 try and shoot them without the help of dogs, as they wiU squat 

 or run, or rise out of range, or in some other way defeat the 

 sportsman who goes out alone. 



The best plan is for two guns only to shoot, one going in 



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