NU ■ ■ v. MI I\AT. V
NUMIDA MITRATA
TI A lì A'1) GTI.NKA-FOWL.
NUMIDA MITRATA, Pall. Spicil. Zopl.vol. iv. (1767) p. 18, t. 3. fig. 1.—Lath. Gen. Syn. vol. iv. p. 688.—Id. Ind. Orn. vol. ii. p. 622.—Gmel.
Syst. Nat. p. 745—Vieill. Ency. M6th. vol.'Lp. 192.—Temm. Pig. et|||Sll. vol. ii. p. 444 ; vol. iiL- p! 682.—Gray, Gen. of B. vol. iii.
p. 501.—Hartl. Reis. Ost.-Afrika, (1870) p. 570.
NUMIDA TIARATA, Hartl. Orn. Madag. p. 68..—Gray, List Gall. (1867) p- 43. sp. 4.—Sclat. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1863) p. 125. sp. 4.—Bon.
Gonsp. Gall. Syst. Gompt. Rend, deT’Acad. Sci. tom. xlii.—Roch & Newt. Ibis, (1863) p. 168.—E. Newt. Ibis, (1865) p. 152.—
Schleg. Proc. Zool. Soc. (1866) p. 425.—Schleg. & Pollen, Recher. de Madag. (1867) p. 118.
QUERELEA TIARATA, Bon. Compt. Rend. (1856) p. 876.
Hab. Madagascar. Rodriguez (N ew to n ) . Nossi-be. Introduced in Mayotte ( S c h l eg . ) .
T h e Guinea-fowls seem naturally divided into two groups, those with bony casques like the present species, and those with foil feathery
crests, ; no portion o f the' crown of the head nude. The members of these groups resemble each other very closely in the general
colour of their plumage, the chief differences between them being the coloration o f the bare portion o f the head and neck, and the form
and position of the wattles. The present species is a native o f Madagascar, and was first described by Pallas. But little is known of
its; economy or habits, comparatively few Europeans ever having met with it in its native haunts. The following note I quote from the
article of Messrs. Roch and E. Newton, upon the birds observed in Madagascar, as published in ‘The Ibis’ for 1863. These authors
say that the species is “ pretty generally distributed over the country (Madagascar) up to Beforona,; but commoner along the coast-line,
where they are found in the early morning feeding among the ferns and brushwood on the outskirts of . the forests.” Mr. Roch adds the
following:— “ A tF o u le Point, in November, four eggs o f this species were brought to me. They resemble highly-coloured examples of
those of the domestic Guinea-fowl; long diameter 2-l inches, transverse diameter l -52 inch. In that neighbourhood the species is very
common, and I saw several coveys between there and Nossi-be. The natives often hunt them with dogs ; and I was told that the birds,
endeavouring to conceal themselves from the latter, will allow theniselves to he taken in the hand,, rather than fly or run into the
open. When ‘ treed,’ ' they will remain with their long necks stretched out in stupid astonishment as long as the dogs continue
yelping underneath, paying no regard to their dangerous pursuers, and thus affording an easy shot to- the native sportsman. I he
flavour of their flesh alters considerably with the food they have been eating.”
This is the species originally described by Pallas as mitrata, instead o f the Oiie from South Africa with which it has always
been confounded by authors. It resembles the African bird in many particulars, but differs apparently in a very much smaller crest
and shorter tarsi. The crests of these birds vary considerably, and this character is not a sufficient reason for separating them
when it is the only one to be considered. The species may be described as follows
Head bare of feathers, a bony casque rising in the centre, which, together with the forehead, is of a reddish h u e ; the rest of the
head and neck deep blue, but some few black hair-like feathers scattered over it. Two long slender wattles falling from the angle o f the
mouth blue terminating in red. Entire plumage black, thickly covered with, round white spots. Primaries dark brown. Bill horn-colour.
Feet and tarsi brown.
The figure is life-size.