20 EAST AFBICA AND UGANDA FRANCOLINS 
Nairobi and Kijabe great numbers were caught by the 
Akikuyu, and sold to the Indian coolies. 
In the early morning and again in the evening it leaves 
the thick covert to feed in the ‘ shambas,’ or on land lying 
fallow, and like all Bush-Francolins it is a great runner and is 
difficult to flush. 
It breeds in Kikuyu in July and August. It is commonly 
called the ‘ Red-leg.’ 
Male. — Top of head brown margined with grey ; back of the 
neck and shoulders reddish brown marbled with black and edged 
wflth grey ; rest of the upperparts brown finely vermiculated 
with black ; chin and throat buffy white ; chest and breast like 
the shoulders, but the brown is not so dark and merges gradu- 
ally into the grey margins ; breast buffy white with brown 
centres ; abdomen dusky brown. Iris brown ; bill bright 
coral-red ; bare patch above ear dusky yellow ; feet bright 
orange-red. 
Length 15J inches, wing 6*9 inches, tail 3*4 inches, tarsus 
2*6 inches. 
Female. — Similar to the male, but smaller. 
Length 13| inches. 
PTERNISTES HUMBOLDT I 
Pternistes humboldti, Peters. 
4 Ogilvie-Grant’s Cat. Birds Brit. Mus.,’ Vol. XXII, page 176. 
‘ Sharpe’s Hand-List,’ Vol. I, page 25. ‘ Shelley’s Birds of 
Africa,’ Vol. I, page 179. ‘ Reichenow’s Vogel Afrikas,’ Vol. I, 
page 462. 
Humboldt’s Bare-throated Francolin is apparently confined 
to the coast region. It is found in Witu, on the outskirts 
of the forest, and is plentiful in the bush-country on the banks 
of the lower Tana. Like all the bush-loving Francolins, it is 
a great runner and is difficult to flush. 
Male. — Forehead black ; indistinct stripe above the eye 
black and white ; top of the head brown ; rest of the upper- 
parts umber-brown with black shaft-stripes. Feathered parts 
of the sides of the face and throat white, entirely surrounding 
the naked skin of the chin, throat and fore-neck. Sides of 
the neck black ; chest and flanks whitish grey, narrowly 
