which may be upright or inclined backwards. _N. ptilorhyncha_ has the naked parts blue, and a bunch of horn-coloured bristles at the base of the maxilla; _N. coronata_, _N. mitrata_, and _N. reichenowi_ have a reddish casque, a scarlet top to the head, and blue cheeks and neck; the wattles being red in the last, but blue tipped with red in the first two, as in _N. cornuta_, where the helmet is vermilion. _N. marungensis_ has a stouter, shorter helmet than _N. coronata_, which it much resembles. _Agelastes meleagrides_ of West Africa is black vermiculated with whitish, and has a zone of white feathers at the base of the neck; the bare skin of the head is red, of the neck white. The male has a strong spur on each metatarsus, as has _Phasidus niger_, ranging from Cape Lopez to Loango, which is brownish-black with a band of feathers from the base of the bill to the occiput; the naked head is in this case yellow, becoming orange on the neck. As regards habits, _Numida meleagris_ may represent the group. This wild suspicious bird is found in flocks of a dozen or even a hundred, not invariably of its own species, which frequent thick bushes, tall grass, or rocky river-sides; it runs swiftly and with perfect ease, occasionally travelling twenty miles a day; while, though the short wings and heavy body preclude extended flights, it travels with considerable power. When disturbed it usually seeks the trees, in which it roosts at night, and under which it shelters from the sun. The food consists of grass, seeds, roots, bulbs, berries, and insects, the ground being often torn up in the search; the noisy cry is hoarse and discordant, or sharp and metallic; the nest is a depression with little or no lining, placed in or under a tussock, and contains from twelve to twenty yellowish eggs with undecided {206}rusty spotting. _Phasidus_ is not gregarious. The rock-loving _Numida ptilorhyncha_ attains an altitude of nine thousand feet.