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Show 1878.] MR. D. G. ELLIOT ON THE PTEROCLIDA. 253 Pteroclurus namaqua, Reich. Syn. Av. Gallina: (1851) pl. ccix. ; Anderss. Dam.-l. (1872) p. 242. Hab. Palestine (Tristram) ; Transvaal, between Potchefstroom and Marico (Ayres) ; Damara-land (Andersson). Mr. Ayres first met with this species in the Transvaal between Potchefstroom and Marico, and afterwards along the river Limpopo, but nowhere very abundant. They squat on the approach of danger, and rise suddenly, with a quick beat of the wings; and their flight is very rapid. The iris is dusky, and eyelids yellow. According to Layard, the Namaqua Grouse is very abundant on the Karroo plains throughout the Cape colony and in Namaqualand. It congregates in small parties, runs with considerable swiftness, and the flight is very rapid. Its note, when on the wing, resembles the piping of a Plover, to which bird this species bears a considerable resemblance. It sometimes, during droughts, extends its migrations to the Cape Flats. It lays from seven to ten eggs, light cream-colour, spotted with brown and purple, axis 17'", diameter 12'". Andersson states that this bird is common in some parts of Damara-land, and generally comes to the water about eight or nine o'clock in the morning. They circle around at a considerable height, and frequently do not attempt to descend until directly over the spot, when they shoot down with great velocity, describing more or less of semicircles before they alight. They feed on seeds, berries, and small bulbs, and swallow gravel to assist the digestion. Male. Top of head dark brown. Throat orange. Upper part of breast vinous, crossed on the lower part by a band of white, followed by another of reddsh chestnut. Flanks dark vinous grey. Middle of abdomen chestnut; vent and under tail-coverts yellowish white. Upper parts dark brown, lighter on the rump and upper tail-coverts, and washed with green. Scapulars dark brown, with a subterminal light buff bar and purplish-grey tips. Wing-coverts ashy brown, subterminal buffy white bar, and chestnut tips. Secondaries dark vinous brown, inclining to light buff near their tips. Primaries rufous brown; shafts rufous, except those of first and second, which are white, and the sixth to tenth broadly margined with white on their inner webs towards their tips. Median rectrices extending slightly beyond the rest, rufous brown, graduating into dark brown on their attenuated portion ; rest of tail rufous brown, and tipped with yellowish white. Bill horn-colour. Feathers on tarsus buffy white. Total length lOf inches, wing 7, tail 4\, bill along gape \. Young male. Differs in having the entire underparts very deep vinous buff, inclining to rufous on the abdomen, and ochraceous on the vent and under tail-coverts. Feathers of the back and wings barred with rufous and black irregularly, and tipped with greyish purple on the scapulars and some of the inner secondaries. Tail buff, barred narrowly with dark brown. Head, throat, and back of neck as in the adult males. Female. Top of head, back, and sides of neck and breast deep |