OTIS RUFICRISTA. 
the base, dark horn coloured towards the point ; legs intermediate between 
pale straw and wine-yellow; eyes reddish brown. 
Form. — Neck long ; body slender ; nuchal crest about two inches long, 
depressed and formed of fine silky feathers ; wings, when closed, extend 
over the first half of the tail ; the innermost tertiaries longer than the primary 
quill feathers ; — the second, third, and forth primaries nearly of equal length ; 
the first rather shorter. The tail rounded at its extremity ; outer and inner 
toes nearly of equal length. 
DIMENSIONS. 
Inches. 
Length from the point of the bill to the 
tip of the tail 22 
of the tail 
of the wings when folded 10f 
of the hill 2 
Inches. Lines. 
Length of the tarsus 3 9 
of the outer toe 0 8 
of the middle toe 1 0 
of the inner toe 0 6 
The female differs so much from the male, that we shall give a figure and 
description of her in a future number. 
This species was first discovered in the vicinity of Latakoo, where it arrested our attention 
by the peculiarity of its cry, which was intermediate between the harsh Mr Mr hac, of the Otis 
Afra, Lin. and the croak of the Otis Vigorsi Smith. Besides the difference in the tone of its 
cry, it also uttered its calls less frequently than the former, and, as far as we observed, only 
while flving ; thus in the first peculiarity approaching the latter mentioned species, and in the 
other differing from both. When disturbed, it flies but a short distance before it alights, 
and when that has once happened, it is no easy task to start it a second time, owing to its 
habit of squatting among the grass, and remaining tranquil even when almost touched by the 
feet of the sportsman. It appeared almost exclusively restricted to grassy plains, and rarely 
occurred in districts supplied with brushwood, from which circumstance only one or two speci- 
mens were observed to the north of 25°. Insects, small lizards, scolopendra, &c, seemed to 
constitute its favourite food, and besides the remains of these, abundance of small gravel was 
also found in the stomachs of the individuals we procured, which were but few, owing to the 
specimens being rare, at least in the directions in which we travelled. 
