NUMIDA C O R O N A T A
IfÜMIDA CORONATA.
CROWNED GÏÏINEà-FOWL.
NUMIDA CORONATA, Hartl. Reis. Ost-Afrika (1870); p'. 568.—Gray, Eist Sp. B. Brit. Mus. pt; ii£ (1844)p. 29—Id. List Gail. (1867) p. 43.
_Cab. v. d. Decken’s Reisen, voliüCp. 44—Gumey,; Ibis*( 1868),.pp. 253 & 463.
N. CORNUTA, Hartl. Reis. Ost7Afrika (1870), p. 569.
N. MITRATA, Kirk (nec PalL), Ibis (1864), p. 330.—Sclät. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1862), p. 12.—Sperling, Ibis (1868), p. 291.—Gray (nec Pall.), List
of Birds in Brit. Mus. pt. iii. (1844) p. 29¿^Id. Gen. of B..völ. iii. p. 501.—Id. List, Gail. (1867) p. 43.—Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 266.
H ab. South Africa : Zambesi (K ir k ) ; Ovampoland, Mocambie ( L ayard) ; Bari ( S p ek e ) .
T h is Guinea-fowl was:fi»f a long time considered to be the same as the N . mitrata of Pallas, from Madagascar; and the name of
that species has been bestowed upon it by all ornithological writers. Mr. Gray, indeed, observed the differences exhibited by the
two birds, and bestowed upon this one the .appellation of coronata, and published it: in several of his lists, but never added any
description ; and it was not until Dr. Hartlaub, in his new work on African. ornithology, quoted above, published a full description
of the species that naturalists generally understood what the N . coronata of Gray really was. The practice of printing MS. names
without descriptions cannot be too severely condemned; and they are very properly rejected by all those who really desire to prevent,
as much as possible, confusion in nomenclature.
Drs. Hartlaub and Filiseli kindly sent me a specimen of their N conmia -, and on comparison with those of N coronala in th'C
grijjsh ìifaseuin, I believe tf e g B E k e one an.:-f lit difference j f S K e d by'Dr. Hartlaub in th*
marking of the breast-fea'tliers in his bird, but I do not consider it sufficient to constitute a separate species. Nor is the size of
the h o în W S l h e a d ® any consequence, for fhey J & e t with of all shapes m different individuals, and thé Jength of
the wattles cannot be relied upon as a specific character I have therefore placed the N conula of Hartlaub among the synonyms
2 § the p r ,e s e n t ^ ^ ^ p T h e Crowned Guinea-fowl is a native of the southern portion of the African continent, and thgre represenH
the .V. mclcagris of the middle and northern districts, . Captain Speke found' this species common in flocks in eastern Africa, near
the villages, and also in the jungle, from the coaif as far as Bari. S'W'-V of 6,011
throughout- TOlompey when offierlmgj'Svas scarriP Dr Kirk, in hlS B ï on ^ * rds of the Za"“besi re8 ion- sï tes tbat
this Guinea-fowl was "extremely cSmmon^ Met with in large flocks duiing.the dryhseaïondwhen every n i g h t l y | « | g t o drink.
jjf| the water and roost m th e^ ^ B o ie rh a p |in g When the S g c om m e n c e , the 'flock'sigo off t o ||||K t e r ÿ r r and scatter for
the purpose of breeding A l tS g h easdy domesticated, it does |W breed in captivity, and fresh birds require t0 b« i S S r | | hgjh
obtained fiom « n e t m the b o h » Layard ay that th pccicsJtextuiSk over the whole of the frontier districts, into
Ovampoland'onSe west, and to the Mocainbie on the east. It is Som,e|i!Kjc£- within thjpjolony, where , the
mimosa • » affords it sufficient I S e r . It feeds on, grain insects, a n d » from s e v e n | | a g | e | » |C t h e r sharply pointed
at the ¡ f i l l , and rounded at the obtuse ® î | | o f D"lli ^ S d0“ e<i P'"-l)01"‘ •P0** of bfosvn,
axis .•/' 1"* ; dianieter 1" / /¿B.Mrs. Barber, la reply to some lnqm^^Fpf Mr. L a y a r ^ ^H S th is bird, says— “ Our South-
African speÇiekù'ls altogether a much handsomer larger J f e i than the t a « sort, and p S f ja much-.deeper
colour, with the white spots larger and more conspicuous. They arc good layers, and fear then young m n I in the same way as
ifffi- Pheasants do. If the female bird M sta r tled she flies off and leaves lu ope disperse in every
direction, and hide so cunningly amongst the grass and bushes that they are seldom found ; and the dear little creatures|||.ll
S a i n .for any; length of tithe in their hiding-places, until they are,Ciflfd together e g li» by thè, shrill Cote , of the parent bird.
In-the Fish-Riv|ee|:dley|i|iy roost upon tiie iviilow-brarches that project over the water/ out- ofethe i;each of wild cats”
’ .Upper parts, neck, and breast ^ H B b l a c k i thickly covered with white spots ; between the spots a « » n e tw o rk of white
lines. Rump and tail black, with the same coloured spots and pattern as the hack. Flanks and under tnil-coverte pure black,
spotted # |h white, without any tracing Primàri®! aqjP secpndànls djrk brown, eoye re j ^ l white spots, with" the edges of
h i e outer webs h a v in g s ® lines of wlllfe cutting into the black Head and neck Inre'¿bluish m ^ C p j g | A high h.o:iv casque on
the top of the head, in some specimens curving backwards. Wattles e lo n g J ^ B n g e r in sonfSifldividuals than in others, g | | o t
of specific importance. Bill, legs, and feet black.
The figures are life-size.