a c r y l l B jm YÜLTURINUM.
VULTURINE GUINEA-FOWL.
NUMIDA VULTURINA, Hardw. Proc. Zoo'l.Soc. (1834) p. 52.—Gould, Icon. Av. pl. 8.—Gray, Gen. Birds'(1848), vol. iii. p. 50lFÄd. List
GaU|||l867) p. 44. sp. 8.—Hartl. Syst. Om. West Air. p. 200.—Sclat. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1863) p. 126. sp. 8.—Sclat. Ibis (1868), p. 501.
—Kirk, proc. Zool. Soc. (1867) p. 953.—Hartl. Jour. f. Ornith. (1861) p. 266.—Layard, Ibis (1861), p. 120.—Poll. Nederl. Tijdschr. (1863)
p. 39.—rldi Ibis (1864), p. 133.—Scbleg. & Poll. Recher. de Madag. p; 119.—Hartl. & Finsch, Reisen, Ost-Afrika, p. 575.
ACRYLLIUM VÜLTURINA, Gray, List Gen. B. (1840) p. 61.—Hartl. Journ. für Ornith. (1854) p. 209.
H ab. Lamoo, east coast of Africa (K irk ) ; east coast of Zanzibar to Mozambique (V on d e r D e ck en ) ; Madagascar ( L ayard) .
So beautiful a bird as the present would hardly be looked for among " $h§ members of the genus Numida ; a n d | | | may very
properly be included in a different one. I therefore adopt that Of Acryllium, bestowed upon the species by Mr. Gray ; for it
differs in its structure from typical Numida in the possession of an undeveloped spur and lengthened median tail-feathers. It is a
native of the east coast of Africa, from Zanzibar to Mozambique, and also rather common, according to Layard, in the south-west
of Madagascar.
Dr. Kirk, in the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society ’ for 1867, writing from Mozambique, says, “ This has not been to me
a year productive in specimens of natural history ; but I hope in two months to get off for a few days to Lamoo, where are the
Numida mlturina and other nice things. A tame hen of this Numida lived for some time a t the French Consulate here, but has
been stolen lately ; it was an extremely handsome bird. They seem to bé common at Lamoo. When the ‘ Syria ’ was there the
officers saw several in the market, and killed them' for the table, keeping only the skin. I had asked them to look out for it ;
but they mistook the bird when they saw f ty thinking they were to seek for something much more rare.” This is the species
which Captain Owen mentions in his ‘ Narrative o f a Voyage to explore the Shores o f Africa, Arabia, and Madagascar’ (1833,
vol. ii. p. 3 6), where he states that when “ we arrived a t the north-east coast of Madagascar and Diego Suarez Bay, or British
Sound, the chief and all the inhabitants came in state to visit him, bringing with them a species of Guinea-fowl with a long tail,
which we had never before met with. It was marked like the Jungle-fowl o f India, or the Argus Pheasant; but its downy plumage
was still more beautiful, the bill and head being like the common Guinea-fowl.”
As this is the only species o f Numida known with a long tailji it may reasonably be supposed to be the one referred to
above. An individual of this species lived for some time in the Zoological Gardens of Hamburg; and I dm not sure that
it is not there still (1870). Lately Dr. Kirk sent two specimens to the Zoological Society of London. One, unfortunately,
died on its way to Marseilles, the other arrived a t the Gardens in the Regent’s Park, but very much weakened from the long
voyage. * ||| went immediately to see i||:. accompanied by Mr. Wolf; and it was from this specimen that the accompanying’
figure was finished. The bird appeared very feeble, and was extremely thin ; and although every care was taken of it, and
such food given as seemed most palatable, yet it continued to droop, and died in about ten days. The skin is now in my
possession, and is one of the most interesting additions to my collection of the Phasianidoe. The Society, through Dr. Sclater,
having appropriated a certain amount of money to be expended by Dr. Kirk in procuring, and forwarding to London other
examples of this fine bird, we may confidently expect that their efforts to naturalize the species will be crowned with success;
and it is a result that we may all ardently hope for, since, being well suited for the table, the Vulturine Guinea-fowl would
also be a very handsome addition to the poultry-yard, quite eclipsing his noisy and better-known relative, the common
Guinea-hen.
This singular species has the head and neck naked, with the exception of a small patch of short chestnut feathers upon
the occiput. The naked skin is bluish. Fore part of breast and upper portion of the back covered with very long lanceolate
feathers, with white centres succeeded by a line of black, and fringed with blue ; the blue most conspicuous on the back ;
the black portion o f tbese feathers minutely dotted with white. Mantle black, spotted with white; the centre of feathers
and shafts white. Wings and rest of upper parts brownish black, spotted with white, each spot encircled with jet-black, and
the feathers minutely dotted with white. Primaries brownish black, rather lighter on the outer web, shafts white. Secondaries
black, with longitudinal stripes of white on the outer web, spotted on tbe inner; the outer web of the last primary with a
broad stripe of beautiful purple, succeeded by chestnut, and tipped with black. Upper part and centre of breast beautiful
light blue. Abdomen and flanks rich purple, spotted with white, the spots encircled with black. Tail like the back, the
centre feathers long and pointed. Under tail-coverts and thighs hlack, with white spots. Upper mandible light greenish horn-
colour. Feet and tarsi greyish brown.