THE SPORTSMAN IN SOUTH AFRICA. 1 19 



of a commotion when rising, this one does so noiselessly. Mr. 

 Ayres, the Transvaal ornithologist, observes that the Bush Khoorhan 

 gives vent at times to a low, humming noise, somewhat resembling 

 the hoot of an owl. If this is the case, the habit has not generally 

 been recognised. A peculiar incident in connection with this bird 

 which occurred in British Bechuanaland may be worth mentioning. 

 A party of gentlemen were shooting close to Mafeking, when a Bush 

 Khoorhan was repeatedly observed to fly perpendicularly in the air 

 to a height of about forty feet, and there turn a back somersault, 

 falling downwards in a lump, only extending its wings just before 

 touching the ground. The bird was actually shot when performing 

 one of these novel acrobatic feats. The flesh is very fair eating, 

 being better than any other variety of the lesser Bustards. 



The Senegal Khoorhan {Otis senegalensis). 



[" General colour above, bright rufous, variegated with black; tail 

 barred with four cross bars, that near the point being broadest ; 

 top of the head black in the male, rufous in the female, minutely 

 mottled and changing into light ash colour at the back; cheeks and 

 chin white ; throat and crescent shaped mark at the back of the head, 

 jet black; lower part of throat and breast rufous, with here and there 

 a bluish tinge j large wing feathers black, the rest bright rufous ; 

 under parts white, length 16 or 17 inches. It is said to frequent the 

 Transvaal, Natal, and Free State. Doctor Exton procured it at 

 Kanya* in Matabeleland.''''^ 



This what must be termed rare species is described as above in 

 Layard and Sharpe's Birds of South Africa, and is reproduced by 

 permission of Dr. Sharpe, and must be closely allied to the Vaal 

 Khoorhan (0. scolopacea). 



Ruppel's Bustard {Otis rueppelli). 



\_^^ Male, above, clear fulvous, vermiculated with black; crown, ashy 

 blue, rayed with brown; eyebrows and a malar streak, nape and 

 middle of the throat, and longitudinal median hand on the forepart 



* Mr. NiooUs resided, off and on, for over twelve months at Kanya (whicli is in the 

 Bechuanaland Protectorate, and not in Matabeleland), but never met with one of the 



