Birds of Gambia. 
293 
Podica senepalensis. SENEGAL FINFOOT. 
Rang\e. Tropical Afiica, Scnegambia to Congo. (H.L.) 
One. occasionally sees on the river and larger pools of the 
swamps a brown and white bird, which swims like a Darter, deep 
in the water with only the head and neck abova the surface. When 
disturbed it eitlier dives or flaps off along the surface with scuf- 
fling flig'ht which it aids by helping itself along with ita feet. 
These birds I take to be Finfoots, large ralline birds, brown above 
una white or whitish below, with long necks and coot-like feet. 
THASIANID^. 
The GAME-BIRDS are, I suppose, to most people the most 
interesting of all our birds and certainly attract the most attention. 
Our typical Game-bira is the "Bush- fowl," FrancoUnus bicalcaratus, 
a really sporting bird which is common throughout the Protectorate. 
The list also incluaes other species of Francolin, Guineafowl, Sand- 
Grouse, Quails ana Bustards, the two last however being local in 
their aistribution or only visitors to this part of Africa. 
In the Gambia, ana I believe in all other parts of British 
West Africa, a close season from July to January 1st for game birds 
ana beasts has been imposed during recent years. 
Votwnix coturnix. QUAIL. 
Range. Europe, Asia, and Africa. 
C. capensis. AFRICAN QUAIL. 
Range. The greater part of Africa. 
These two species are \nery closely alliea and I am almost 
sure that both occur in the Gambia. In size they resemble one 
another, but are aistinguished by differences in the markings (in 
the males) of the heaa and neck. In C. coturnix thei sides of the 
face, chin, and throat, are white or whitish, in cape'nsis, rufous 
or rufous-buff. In a minority of the Quails I have seen here, these 
paits have been white {=cotiirnix), but in most they have been 
decidedlj' rufous or at any rate distinctly more rufous than white, 
so that I takle it that the African form is the miore common here, 
thougn many of ours suggest strongly the probability of cross- 
treeaing occurring between the two species, ^he differences be- 
tween these Quails was well shown in a coloured plate in Volume 
V. (JNI.S.) of the Avicultural Magazine, showing the differences 
between six species of Quail, and accompanied by an article by Mr. 
Seth Smith on the geniis, in which, if I remember aright, he 
pointea out the frequency with which forms apparently intermediate 
between the two species were met with. In full breeding plumage 
the males, too, have the centre of the chin and throat black black 
and the white eyebrow much more marked than at other seasons; 
in coturnix also the rufous of the cheeks becomes deeper and 
brighter at this time of year. I am practically certain that Quail 
ao not breed with us, and there foi-e should not expect to Se© their 
full dress here, but I have once (and once only in ten years) seen 
one with a "black chin-mark, and tl^is w^s a bird shot in Dec«ii}(- 
