OTIS AFROIDES.
white. Bill inclining to yellow, upper mandible largely, and lower scantily
tipt with blackish; legs yellowish ; claws blackish.
F orm.— Figure and general appearance of Otis Afer: head broad and flat
above; neck very slender ; wings when folded reach as far as the commencement
of the last third of the tail; the second and third primary quill feathers
of equal length, and the longest, fourth and fifth of equal length, and rather
shorter than the second and third, first and sixth of nearly the same length,
and about three quarters of an inch shorter than the second; some of the
tertiaries and the longest primaries of equal length. Tail slightly rounded;
thighs denuded of feathers for an inch and a half above the knee jo in t;
carpal spur rudimentary and obtuse.
DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines.
Length from the tip of the bill to the
point of the tail ..u .......... 19 6
of the bill from the angle of
the month ........................ 1 10
of the wings when folded ... 1 1 0
Inches. Lines.
Length of the tail .......................... 4 7
of the tarsns ...... 3 4
of the outer toe .................... 0 10
of the middle toe . ............... 1 4
of the inner to e .............. 0 8^
F e m a l e .— Ground colour of the dorsal plumage ochre-yellow, inclining to
ferruginous, and variegated on the head by longitudinal, and on the sub-crest
and neck by transverse blackish lines; back and wings profusely covered
with brownish black markings, varying in form and direction*; upper tail
coverts irregularly banded with brownish black and ochre-yellow ; colours
of tail feathers less bright than in the male, the broad bands being of a dull
black, and the terminal white obsolete; white band on the wings and patch
on the inner webs of the primaries inconspicuous. Chin cream-yellow
speckled with blackish; patch behind the ears the same ; ear coverts light
ochre-yellow faintly streaked with brown ; upper part of breast pale ochre-
yellow waved with blackish brown lines, lower part cream-yellow ; abdomen
rusty black; feathers of thighs Fringed with white at the tips : upper mandible
dark brown, with sagittal horn-coloured band near the apex; lower
mandible and legs rather paler than in the male.
When this species and O tis A f e r are viewed together, many marked differences are immediately
discoverable; but when an actual comparison cannot be instituted, a reference to the
wings will under any circumstances enable the naturalist to refer his specimen to its proper
species. In O tis A f e r the quill feathers are entirely black, in Otis A fro id e s , more than half of
each of the primaries is white. The species here figured inhabits the arid plains of the interior,
and is never found much to the southward of the Orange River. Its call differs considerably
from that of O tis A f e r ; but in most of their habits, &c. they closely resemble each other.
The food of both is similar, and consists of insects, small snakes, seeds, &o.
* The colours of the female differ greatly according to age.