COLY. 199 



red-brown ; from the nostrils to just above the eyes a fulvous band ; 

 at the hindhead a tuft of silky soft feathers ; general colour of the 

 upper parts of the body bluish grey, with a slight fulvous tinge ; the 

 chin fulvous white ; fore part of the neck and breast light greenish 

 blue, appearing tinged with fulvous in some lights; breast and belly 

 pale rufous; legs red, claws black. 



The female is smaller, with a shorter tail and duller plumage. 



The nest is composed of much the same materials as the others ; 

 the eggs from four to six in number, white, spotted with brown. 

 This species is abundant in Carrie Land, especially in the environs 

 of the Gamtoos, the only part in which M. Levaillant found his three 

 species all together: they were met with just on the ripening of a 

 small kind of plum, called by the Hottentots, Goire; this plum is 

 esteemed greatly purgative, yet the Colies are fond of it, and resort 

 to it in amazing numbers, insomuch, that he was able to kill a 

 thousand, which were dressed in various ways, and thought to be 

 excellent food ; supposed to be the most numerous of all the species. 



M. Levaillant hints the possibility of one described by Brisson as 

 the Senegal, might be a young one of this, in which the bai'e part 

 round the eyes was not apparent. The natives call this bird Quiriwa 

 or Guiriwa, from the note. 



5.— AFRICAN COLY. 



SIZE of the last. Bill red, tip black ; the base appearing as a 

 cere, and passing from the nostrils to the eye ; crown crested, the 

 back part consisting of very loose bluish feathers ; general colour of 

 the bird pale cinereous brown ; beneath paler, inclining to blossom- 

 colour ; tail seven inches long, cuneiform, as in the others ; quills 

 and tail dirty dull green, with a tinge of blue ; the legs pale reddish 

 brown, at the back part of the shins a narrow prominent ridge, the 

 whole of their length ; toes long, claws hooked. 



