s THE FAUNA OF SOUTH AFRICA EDITED BY W. L. SCLATER, M.A., F.Z.S. Director of the South African Museum, Cape Town. "m^nm Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/birdsofsouthafri04starrich THE BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA COMMENCED BY ARTHUR STARK, M.B. VOL. IV. GAME-BIKDS, SHORE-BIRDS AND SEA-BIRDS WITH 163 ILLUSTRATIONS BY W. L. SCLATER, M.A., F.Z.S. Director of the SoiUli African Museum, Cape Town R. H. PORTER 7, PRINCE'S STREET, CAVENDISH SQUARE, W. 1906 LONDON PRINTED BY JOHN BALE, SONS AND DANIELSSON, LTD. 83-91, GT. TITCHFIELD STREET W. PREFATORY NOTE. The present volume concludes the account of the birds of South Africa. In it are described 251 species of the Game-, Shore- and Water-birds, making 814 species in all for South Africa. It had been my intention to add a supplement, giving accounts of the species described since the issue of the first volume, with other corrections and additions. The supple- ment, it w^as found, would contain so large a number of pages that I was forced to abandon it. The material collected for this purpose, however, has been published in the ''Annals of the South African "Museum " (vol. iii., part 8, 1905), and can be easily obtained by any one who wishes to consult it. As in the case of the third volume, I am alone responsible for the contents of this, although I have made some use of Dr. Stark's notebook. I have to thank my numerous South African correspondents for much information and help freely given ; among them I should like specially to mention Mr. A. D. Millar, Major Sparrow, Mr. G. A. K. Marshall, Dr. Stoehr, Mr. J. G. Brown of Port Elizabeth, Mr. Haagner, Dr. Howard and Mr. Gilfillan. ' As before, the illustrations, with a few exceptions, have been specially prepared for this volume by Mr. Gronvold, to whom I am greatly indebted for the pains and trouble he has taken to carry out my wishes. Mr. H. E. Harris has kindly allowed me the use of five of the blocks prepared from his own photographs and used to illustrate his " Essays and VI. PBEFATORY NOTE Photographs," while I have to thank Mr. K. H. Ivy for the photographs of the Cape Kedv^ing, on p. iJ04, and the Ostrich, on p. 527, and Mr. Austin Koherts for that of the nest of the Gohath Heron on p. 57. I am in hopes of being able to continue this series with a volume on the South African Keptiles. W. L. S. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT. PAGE Fig. J . Eight foot of Phalacrocorax capensis - 3 2. Head of Phalacrocorax capensis 6 3. Anatomy of the neck of Plotus 12 4. Head of Plotus ricfus 13 5. ,, ,, Sula capensis 16 6. Colony of Malagashes, on Bird Island in Algoa Bay 18 7. Head of Pelecanus rufescens ^28 8. ,, ,, Ahdimia ahdimii 33 9. Tail of Dissura microscelis 35 10. llesid oi Dissura 7nicroscelis 36 11. ,, ,, Ciconia alba 38 12. ,, ,, Ajiastomus lamelligerus 42 13. ,, , , Ephippiorhy7ichus senegalensis 44 14. " ,, ,, Leptoptilus crume7iiferus 47 15. ,, ,, Psendotantalics ibis 50 16. Scopus umbretta 53 17. Nest and eggs of ^rf/ea {/o/m^/i 57 18. Head of Ardea melanocephala 61 19. „ ,, Herodias garzetta 69 20. ,, ,, Buhdcus ibis 74 21. Lteh foot oi Butor ides atricapilla 79 22. Heajd ol Butorides atricapilla 80 23. ,, ,, Nycticorax griseus 83 24. heh loot oi Bo taurus capensis 91 25. IleBid. oi Botaurus capensis 92 26. ,, ,, Ibis cethiopica 95 27. ,, ,, Geronticus calvus 98 28. ,, ,f Ha^edashia hagedash 101 29. ,, „ Plataleaalba 106 30. ,, ,, Ph(Bnicoptertts roseus 109 31. ,, ,, Phcenicopterus mijior 112 Vlll. LIST OF ILLUSTEATIONS IN THE TEXT PAGE Fig. 32. Bend of the wing of Plectropterus gambensis, show- ing the carpal spur 115 ,, 33. Head of Plectropterus gamhensis / 116 ,, 34. Leh ioot oi Sarcidiornis melano7iota 119 ,, 35. Head of Sarcidiorjiis melanonota 120 ,, 36. ,, ,, Nettopus auritus 122 „ 37. ,, ,, Dendrocycna vidtcata 125 ,, 38. heitioot oi Alopochen cegyptiacus 128 ,, 39. Head of Alopochen cBgyptiacus 129 ,, 40. ,, ,, Casarca cana 132 ,, 41. „ ,, Anas undulata 135 ,, 42. ,, ,, Spatula cajjens is 146 „ 43. Left foot of Nyroca ei^ytlirophthalma 147 ,, 44. Hesid oi Nyroca erythropthalma 148 ,, 45. ,, ,, Thalassiornis leuconota 151 ,, 46. Ta>\\ oi Erisjiiatura maccoa 153 ,, 47. Head of Erismatara maccoa 154 ,, 48. heit ioot oi Viiiago delalandii 157 ,, 49. Head of V'lnago delalandii 158 ,, 50. J-iQit iooi oi Golumha plicEonota 160 ,, 51. 'H.esbd oi Columba phcBoiiota 161 ,, 52. Lieit ioot oi Turt2ir cap icola 166 ,, 53. Head of Turtur capicola 170 ,, 54. TdA\ oi G^na capensis, ivovaheio'N 174 ,, 55. CEna capensis 176 ,, 56. Wing of Tympanistria bicolor, from below 178 ,, 57. Head of Tyynpanistria bicolor 179 ,, 58. ,, „ Haplopelia larvata 183 59. Left foot of Pterocles bicinctus 185 60. Head of Pterocles bicinctus 189 >> j> ,, 61. HdAl oi Pteroclurus namaqua 191 ,, 62. Hesidi oi Pteroclur us narnaqita 192 , , 63. Left foot of Francolinus caj^ensis 196 ,, 64. Nest and eggs with female of the Cape Eedwing ... 204 ,, 65. Hea^d oi Francolinus capensis 211 ,, 66. ,, ,, Pternistes swainsoni 218 ,, 67. Left foot of Coturnix africana 220 ,, 68. Hea^d oi Cotjirnix africana 221 ,, 69. ,, „ Numida coronata 229 „ 70. ,, ,, Numida papulosa 231 ,, 71. ,, ,, Numida mitrata 233 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT IX. PAGE Fig. 72. B.ea.di oi Guttera edotcardi 235 73. Left foot of Turnix lejmrana 237 74. Head of Turnix lepurana 239 75. Left foot of Ballus ccerulescens —243 76. Hest.d oi Ballus ccerulescens 244 77. ,, ,, Crex jjratensis 247 78. ,, ,, Oriygometra pusilla 251 79. Tail of Sarothrura rufa^ slightly schematised to show the decomposed feathers . . 253 80. Kes^d oi Sarothrura nifa 256 81. ,, ,, Cottmiicops ayresi 257 82. ,, ,, Limnocorax nkjer 260 83 . Left foot of GalUnula chloropus 262 84. Head of GalUnula chlorojms 263 85. ,, ,, Porphyrio madagascariensis 267 86. LiQiiioot oi Fulica cristata 270 87. Head of Fulica cristata 271 88. Ta.il oi Podica 2Jetersi 274 89. Hesid oi Podica 2:)etersi 275 90. ,, „ Bugera?ius carunctUatus 279 91. „ ,, Tetrapteryx paradisea 282 92. „ ,, Balearica regulorum 285 93. Balearica regulorum 287 94. Left foot of Otis afra 289 95. Head of Otis afra 293 96. Otis ccerulescens 306 97. Head of Otis kori 310 98. Front halves of the skulls of (Edicnejnus and of NuJiienius, from above, to show the difference between holorhinal and schizorhinal nostrils 314 99. Left foot of Q^dicnemus capensis together with the claw of the middle toe, from above, enlarged to show the dilation 315 100. Head of G^dicnemus capensis 316 101. Eight foot of Dromas ardeola, from inside 320 102. Head of Dromas ardeola 321 103. Eight foot of Cursorius rufus 322 104. Head of Cursorius rufus 324 105. Head of Bhinoptilus chalcopterus 329 106. Tail of Glareola mela7ioptera, from below 332 107. Hesid oi Glareola nielanoptera 334 X. LIST OB^ ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT PAGE ^Fig. 108. Left foot of Actoijhilus africanus -. . 338 , , 109. Head of Actojjhilus africcmtis 339 ,, 110. heit ioot oi Ajxnaria intcrpres 343 ,, 111. Heads of Arcnarla interpres, in non-breeding and breeding plumages 314: ,, 112. Bend of the right wing of Lohivanellus lateralis, to show the carpal spur 315 ,, 113. ^Q2^di oi Lohivanellus lateralis 317 ,, 114. Left foot of Hoplopterus armatus 351 ,, 115. He&d oi Hoplopterus armatus 353 ,, 116. ,, ,, Stephanihyx coronatus 356 ,, 117. ,, ,, Mgialitis hiaticola 365 ,, 118. j^gialitis tricollaris, and nest with two eggs 368 ,, 119. j^gialitis 7Jiarginata, ai>nd nest \\ith ivfo eggs 372 ,, 120. u^Egialitis pecuaria, Sidults and nestlings 375 ,, 121. l^eit loot oi Hcematopus moqidni 378 ,, 122. Hesid oi Hcematopus moquini 379 ,, 123. ,, ,, Himantopus candidus 381 ,, 124. Left foot of Becurvirostra avocetta 382 ,, 125. 'Hesid oi Becicrvirostra avocetta 384 , , 126. Lett foot of Numenius arquatus 385 ,, 127. He2.d oi Numenms arquatus 386 ,, 128. heit ioot oi Totautis glottis 390 „ 129. B-ea^d oi Totanus glottis 393 ,, 130. ,, ,, Tringa suharquata 409 ,, 131. Jjeit ioot oi Calidris arenaria 410 ,, 132. Tails of Gallinago major, and Gallinago nigripennis, from above, to show the difference between the two species ; 413 ,, 133. Head of Gallinago major 415 ,, 134. Eight foot of Larus hartlaubi, from inside 423 ,, 135. Be^d oi Larus hartlauhi 426 ,, 136. Ta.i\ oi Hydrochelidon hybrida 429 „ 137. Left foot of Hydrochelidon hybrida, from above 430 ,, 138. T&il oi Sterna vittata 433 , , 139. Head of Sterna vittata, in breeding dress 440 ,, 140. ,, ,, Bhynchops flavirostris 449 ,j 141. ,, ,, Stercorarius antarcticus 452 ,, 142. Left foot of Oceanites oceanicus 458 ,, 143. Hesid oi Oceanites oceanicus 459 144. Ijeit ioot oi Fregetta grallaria 462 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS IN THE TEXT XI. I PAGE Fig. 145. Left foot of Proccllaria jjelagica 465 f , , 146. Head of Priofinus cinereus 472 ,, 147. ,, ,, Majaqueus (jequinoctialis 475 ,, 148. ,, ,, on strelata mollis 7 ^81 ,, 149. ,, ,, Osslfraga (jigantca . 483 ,, 150. Dapt'ion capcnsis 486 ,, 151. Bills of Prion desolatus, Prion banksi and Prion vittatnsy from above 488 ,, 152. Hesbd oi Diomedea extdans 496 ,, 153. Diomedea exulans, flying 497 ,, 154. heit ioot oi Thalassogeron chlororJiynchus 502 ,, 155. BWh oi Thalassogero?i culmi7iatus and Ilialassogcron chlororhy7ichus , from above 504 ,, 156. Foot of Podicepes cristatus 508 ,, 157. HeSid oi Podicepes cristatus 510 ,, 158. ,, ,, Spheniscus demur sus 516 ,, 159. Spihenisctis demursits, from a photograph taken from life 517 ,, 160. Jackass Penguins on Dyers' Island 518 ,, 161. ^eo^d oi StrutJiio australis , Q,i\.Qv ^ o\i 524 ,, 162. Hen Ostrich sitting on its nest, from a photograph 527 ,, 163. Nest of an Ostrich with the eggs just hatched out, and the cock bird in the distance. From a photograph 529 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. PAGE Order VI. STEGANOPODES 1 Family I. Phalacrocoracid.^i: ... 2 Subfamily I. Plialacrocoracincc ... 2 Genus I. Phalacrocorax 2 564. lucidus (lyzc/i^.) 4 565. caTpensis (Simrrni.) 5 566. neglectus ( Wahlb. ) 8 567. africanus (G»ieZ.) : 9 Subfamily II. Plotince 11 Genus I, Plotus 11 568. rnhiH Lace2). (£ Daud 13 Family II. Sulid^ 16 Genus I. Sular 16 569. capensis (I/ic/i^.) 17 570. cyanops {Sundev.) 20 571. leucogastra (Bodd.) 21 Family III. Fregatid.95 21 Genus I. Fregata 22 572. aquila {Liim.) 22 Family IV. PHAi-iTHONTiD^ 23 Genus I. Phaethon 23 573. rubricauda, Bodd 23 Family V. Pelecanid^ 24 Genus I. Pelecanus 24 574. roseus, Gmel 25 575. rufescens, Oniel 27 Order VII. HERODIONES 29 Family I. Ciconiid.e 32 . PAGE Genus I. Abdimia 82 576. abdimii (Lic/i^.^, 32 Genus II. Dissura 34 577. microscelis (6'ra7/) 35 Genus III. Ciconia 37 578. alba, i?ec/is^ 37 579. mgv& (Liim .) 39 Genus IV. Anastomus 41 580. lamelligerus, Temvi 41 Genus V. Ephippiorbynchus 43 581. senegalensis (/S/iazt?) 43 Genus VI. Leptoptilus 45 582. crumeniferus, Less 46 Genus VII. Pseudotantalus 48 583. ibis {Linn.) 49 Family II. Scopid^ 51 Genus I. Scopus 51 584. umbretta, Gmel 51 Family III. Ardeid^ 54 Genus I. Ardea 55 585. goliath, Cretzschm 55 586. cinerea, Linn 58 587. melanocephala, Vig. cO CMldr 60 588. purpurea, Linn 62 Genus II. Herodias ... 64 589. alba (Liwi.) 65 590. brachyrhyncha, Brehtn 66 591. garzetta (Z/inn.) 68 Genus III. Melanophoyx 70 592. ardesiaca {Wagl.) 70 593. vinaceigula, Sharpe 72 Genus IV. Bubulcus 72 594. ibis(Lwm.) 72 Genus V. Ardeola 75 595 ralloides (S'coj).) 75 SYSTEMATIC INDEX Xlll. PAGE Genus VI, Erythrocuus 77 596. rufiventris ( Sundev. ) 77 Genus VII. Butorides 79 597. atricapilla (^/^eZ.) 80 Genus VIII. Nycticorax 82 598. griseus [Linn.) 82 599. leuconotus{TFa^Z.) 85 Genus IX. Ardetta 86 600. payesi (Har/Z.) 86 601. minuta (Li7m.) 88 602. sturmi (TFa^Z.) 89 Genus X, Botaurus 91 603. capensis (Sc/iZ^f/.) 91 Family IV. Ibidid^. 94 Genus I, Ibis 94 604. sethiopica (La//2.) 94 Genus II. Geronticus 97 605. calvus (Bo^d) 97 Genus III. Hagedashia 100 606. hagedash (Laf/i.) 100 Genus IV. Plegadis 102 607. falcinellus (7^ i7m.) 103 Family V. Plataleid^. 104 Genus I. Platalea 104 608. alba, Scop 105 Order VIII. ODONTOGLOSS^... 107 Family I. Phcenicopterid^. 107 Genus I. Phoenicopterus 107 609. roseus, Pall 108 610. minor, Qeoffr Ill Order IX. ANSERES 112 Family I. Anatid^ 114 Genus I. Plectropterus 114 611. gambensis (Lwm.) 115 612. niger, Set 118 Genus II. Sareidiornis 118 613. melanonota (Pm?^. ) 119 Genus III. Nettopus 121 614. auritus {Bodd.) 122 Genus IV. Dendrocycna 124 615. viduata {Linn.) 124 616. fulva(GweZ.) 126 page Genus V. Alopochen 127 617. segyptiacus [Linn. ) 128 Genus VI. Casarca 131 618. cana ((7?;ieZ.) .7r..~ni- GenusVII. Anas 133 619. undulata, Dubois 134 620. sparsa, Smith 136 Genus VIII. Nettion 138 621. catenae (Gmel.) 138 622. punctatum (B?irc/i.) 139 Genus IX. Poecilonetta 141 623. erythrorhyncha [Gmel.) ... 141 Genus X. Spatula 143 624. clypeata (Linn.) 144 625. capensis (S^m^/i) 145 Genus XI. Nyroca 146 626. erythrophthalma ( TFie^) ... 147 Genus XII. Thalassiornis 150 627. leuconotsb (Smith) 150 Genus XIII. Erismatura 152 628. maccoa (Smi^/i) 153 Order X. COLUMB^ 155 Family I. Treronid^. 156 Genus I. Vinago 156 629. delalandii (Bp.) 157 630. sch&lowi {Reichw.) ... 159 Family II. CoLUMBiDiE 159 Genus I. Columba 160 631. phffionota, G. R. Gray 160 632. arquatrix, Temm. <& Knip... 163 Genus II. Turturoena 164 633. delagorguei [Delagorgue) ... 165 Genus III. Turtur 166 634. semitorquatus (i??'ip^j.) 167 635. ambiguus, Boc 168 636. capicola (Sundev.) 169 637. capicola damarensis, Finsch SHartl 171 638. senegalensis (Linn.) 172 Genus IV. CEna 174 639. capensis (Linn.) 174 Genus V. Tympanistria 177 640. hicolor, Reiche7ib 178 Genus VI. Chalcopelia 180 641. afra (Lijin.) 180 XIV. SYSTEMATIC INJDEX PAGE Genus VII. Haplopelia 182 642. l&rv&tsL {Temm. & Knijj) ... 182 Order XI. PTEROCLETES 181 Family I, Pteroclid.e 185 Genus I. Pterocles • 185 643. variegatus (B«rc7z.) 186 644. gutturalis, Smith 187 645. bicinctus, Temin 189 Genus II. Pfceroclurus 191 646. namaqua (GmeZ. ) 192 Order XII. GALLING 194 Family I. Phasianid^ 195 Genus I. Francolinus 195 647. coqu-i {Smitli) 197 648. sephseua (Smi^/i) 199 649. africanus, Steph 201 650. levaillanti (FaZenc.) 203 651. gariepensis, Smith 205 652. jugularis, Biittik 207 653. shelleyi, Grant 208 654. adspersus, Waterh 209 655. capensis {Gmel.) 210 656. natalensis, Smith 212 Genus II. Pternistes 214 657. nudicollis (Bo^d) ... 214 658. humboldti [Peters) 216 659. swainsoni (Smith) 217 Genus III. Coturnix 220 660. africana, Temm. & Schleg. 221 661. delagorguei, Delagorgue ... 224 Genus IV. Excalfactoria 226 662. adansoni {Verr.) 226 Genus V. Numida 227 663. coronata, Gray 227 664. papillosa, Reichiv 231 665. mitrata, PaZZ 232 Genus VI. Guttera 233 666. edouardi (Far«.) 2.33 Order XIII. HEMIPODII 236 Family I. Turnicid^ 236 Genus I. Turnix 236 667. hottentotta (Temw.) 237 PAGE 668. lepurana (Swi^/i) 238 669. ns^u& (Sundev.) 240 Order XIV. FULICARI^ 241 Family I. Rallid^ 243 Genus I. Rallus 243 670. cserulescens, Gmel 244 GenusII. Crex 245 671. pratensis, Bechst 246 672. egreg[&, Peters 248 Genus III. Ortygometra 249 673. porzana (Linn.) 250 674. pusilla (PaZZ.) 251 Genus IV. Sarothrura 252 675. lineata (Sz(;ams.) 253 676. eleg&ns (Smith) 254 677. ruia, (Vieill.) 255 Genus V. Coturnicops 257 678. &yre&\, Giirney 257 Genus VI. Limnobsenus 258 679. marginalis (Bp.) 258 Genus VII . Limnocorax 259 680. nigev (Gmel.) 260 Genus VIII. Gallinula 261 681. chloropus (-Ltwi.) 262 682. angulata, Sundev 264 Genus IX. Porphyrio 266 683. madagascariensis (Lath.)... 266 684. alleni, Thomps 268 Genus X. Fulica 269 685. cristata, Gmel 270 Family II. Heliornithid^ 273 Genus I. Podica 273 686. petersi, Hartl 274 Order XV. ALECTORIDES 277 Family I. Gruid^ 277 Genus I. Bugeranus 278 687. carunculatus (Gf7»eZ.) 278 Genus II. Tetrapteryx 281 688. paradisea (LicTi^.) 281 Genus III. Balearica 283 689. regulorum (Bemiett) 284 Family II. Otid^ 288 SYSTEMATIC INDEX XV. PAGE Genus 1. Otis .. 288 690. ruficrista, Smith 290 691. afra, Gmel 292 692. afroides, Smith 294 693. vigorsi, Smith 296 694. rueppelli, Wahlb 298 695. ludmgi, Bupp 298 696. cuira, Licht 300 697. melanogaster, Bilpp 302 698. havtl&uhi, Heugl 304 699. cserulescens, Vieill 305 700. barrovii, J. E. Gray 307 701. "koTi.Burch 308 Order XVI. LIMICOL^ 311 Family I. CEdicnemid^ 314 Genus I. CEdicnemus 315 702. capensis, Licht 315 703. vermiculatus, Cah 318 Family II. Dromadid^ 320 Genus I. Dromas 320 704. ardeola, Pai/A: 321 Family III. Glareolid-e 322 Subfamily I. Ciirsoriinai 322 Genus I. Cursorius 322 705. rufus, Gould 323 706. temmincki, Sioains 325 Genus II. Rhinoptilus 326 707 . af ricanus ( Temm. ) 327 708. seebohmi, Sharpe 328 709. chalcopterus (Tewim.) 329 Subfamily II. Glareolince 331 Genus I. Glareola 332 710. pratincola (Linn.) 333 711. melanoptera, Norchn 333 Genus II. Galactocbrysea 336 712. emini {Shell.) 336 Family IV. Parrid^ 337 Genus I. Actophilus 337 713. africanus {Gmel.) 338 Genus II. Microparra 341 714. capensis {Smith) 341 PAG E Family V. Charadriid^ 34-2 Subfamily I . CharadriincB 342 Genus I. Arenaria 342 715. interpres {Linn.) 343 Genus II, Lobivanellus.. 345 716. lateralis (Smi^/i) 346 Genus III. Xiphidiopterus 348 717. oXhice^^ {Gould) 348 Genus IV. Hemiparra 350 718. leucoptera (i^eicTiW. ) 350 Genus V. Hoplopterus 351 719. armatus (jBnrc/i.) 352 Genus VI. Stephanibyx 354 720. coronatus (^odd.) 355 721. melanopterus {Cretzschm.) 357 722. inornatus (Sz^ams.) 358 Genus VII. Squatarola 359 723. helvetica (Lww.) 359 Genus VIII. ^gialitis 361 724. geofiioyi {Wagl.) 362 725. asiatica (PaZ/.) 363 726. hiaticola {Linn.) 364 727. alexandrina (I/iwM.) 366 728. tricoUaris (FieiZZ.) 367 729. yenvi^io, {Fisch. d Reichw.) 370 730. marginata (FteiZZ.) 371 731. marginata pallida {Strickl.) 378 732. pecuaria (Tewm.) 374 Subfamily II. Hcematopodince 377 Genus I. Hsematopus 377 733. moquini, jBp 377 Genus II. Himantopus • 380 734. candidus, Po?tn 380 ; Genus III. Recurvirostra 382 ' 735. avocetta, Linn 383 Subfamily III, Totanince 385 Genus I. Numenius 385 736. arquatus {Linn.) 386 737. phseopus (Lm7i.) 388 Genus II. Totanus 389 738. calidris (Liim. ) 390 739. glottis {Lath.) 392 740. stagnatilis, Bechst 394 741. glareola {Linn.) 395 742. ochropus {Linn.) 397 XVI. SYSTEMATIC INDEX PAGE 743. cinerens (Giildensf.) 398 744. hypoleucus (Lmw.) .* 399 Genus III. Pavoncella 401 745. ipugnax (Linn.) 402 Genus IV. Tringa 404 746. canutus, Linn 405 747. h&hdi {Cottes) 406 748. minuta, Leisl 406 749. subarquata (Qilldenst.) 408 Genus V. Calidris 410 750. arenaria (Linn.) 410 Subfamily TV. ScolopacincB 412 Genus I. Gallinago 412 751. major [Gmel.) 414 752. nigripennis, D^^ 416 Genus II. Eostratula 418 753. capensis (Linn.) 418 Order XVII. GAVI^ 421 Family I. Larid-^^. 422 Genus I. Larus 422 754. dominicanus, Licht 423 755. harfclaubi (Br«c7i.) 425 756. cirrhocephalus (FmW.) 427 Family II. Sternid^ 428 Genus I. Hydrochelidon 429 757. hybrida (PaZ/.) 430 758. leucoi^tera; {Meisn.d- Schinz) 431 Genus II. Sterna 433 759. caspia, PaW 434 760. bergii, Z/ic/i^ 436 761. cantiaca, Gmel 437 762. media, ^ors/. 438 763. dougalli, Mont 439 764. vittata, Gmel 439 765. fluviatilis, Naum 440 766. macrura, Naum 442 767. balsenarum (S^ricA;/.) 442 768. miuuta, Linn 443 769. saundersi, Hi^we 444 770. fuligiuosa, Chnel 444 Genus III. Anous ." 445 771. stolidus {Linn.) 446 Genus IV. Micranous 446 772. leucocapillus (GomW) 447 PAGE Genus V. Gygis 447 773. Candida (GmeZ.) 448 Family III. Rynchopid^ 448 Genus I. Rhynchops 448 774. flavirostris, VieiU 449 Family IV. Stercorariid^ 451 Genus I. Stercorarius 451 775. antarcticus (Less.) 452 776. crepidatus (Banks) 453 777. pomatorhinus {Temm.) 455 Order XVIII. TUBINARES 455 Family I. Oceanitid^ 457 Genus I. Oceanites 458 778. oceanicus(7v«7iZ) 459 Genus II, Garrodia 460 779. neveis (Gould) 461 Genus III. Fregetta 461 780. melanogaster (Gould) 462 781. gv&W&na (Yieill.) 463 Family II. Procellariid.3^ ;.. 464 Subfamily I. Procellariincr 464 Genus I. Procellaria •,.. 464 782. pelagica, Linn 465 Genus II. Oceanodroma 467 783. leucorrlioa (T'iei'ZZ.) 467 Subfamily II. Puffinince 467 Genus I. Puffinus 468 784. gravis (O'Reilly) 468 785. kuhli (Boie) 469 786. assimilis, Gould 470 787. griseus (Gmel.) 471 Genus II. Priofinus 472 788. cmexeM?, (Gmel.) 472 Genus III. Priocella 473 789. glacialoides (S7?u^/i) 478 Genus IV. Majaqueus 474 790. sequinoctialis (Linn.) 475 Genus V. CEstrelata 477 791. macroptera (Smith) 478 792. lessoni (G'arnoO 479 SYSTEMATIC INDEX PAGE 793. incerta. {Schleg.) 480 794. mollis (Gould) 481 Genus VI. Ossifraga 482 795. gigantea [Gviel.) 482 Genus VII. Daption 485 796. capensis (I/inw.) 485 Genus VIII. Prion 487 797. cseruleus (Gmel.) 488 798. banksi (Smith) 489 799. vittatus (GmeZ.) 490 800. desolatus (Gmel.) 491 801. brevirostris, Gould 492 Subfamily III. Pelicanoidince 493 Genus I. Pelicanoides 493 802. exul (Cah. d Reichw.) 493 Subfamily IV. Diomedeinm 494 Genus I. Diomedea 494 803. exulans, Linn 495 804. melanophrys, Temni 499 Genus II. Thalassogeron 501 805. culminatus (Gould) 501 806. chlororbynchus (Gmel.) ..^503 807. layardi, Salvin 505 PAGE Genus III. Phoebetria 505 808. fuliginosa (Gmel.) 506 Order XIX PYGOPODES ...... ^. 507 Family I, Podicipedid^ 508 Genus I. Podicipes 508 809. cristatus (Linn.) 509 810. nigricollis, Brehm 511 811. capensis, Licht 513 Order XX. IMPENNES 515 Genus I. Spheniscus 515 812. demersus (Linn.) 516 Genus II. Catarrhactes 520 813. cbrysocome (Forst.) 521 Sub-Class II. EATITjE 523 Order XXI. STRUTHIONES 523 Family I. Struthionid^ 523 Genus I. Struthio 523 814. australis, Gurn^y 525 ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA. P. 114. Before "Genus I. Plectropterus," insert "Family I. Anatidse." P. 159. For " sbalowi " read " schalowi," and for *' Shalow " read " Schalow. Pp. 237, 238. For " Quartel " read " kwartel" (as on p. 221). P. 249. For " Mr. Alfred Millar " read " Mr. Harry Millar." THE FAUNA OF SOUTH AFRICA. AYES. Order VI. STEGANOPODES. The members of this Order may be easily diagnosed by a very obvious external character, recognisable at a glance ; the feet are totipalmate, that is, all the toes, including the first, or hallux, which is turned forwards more or less parallel to the other toes, are fully webbed. , Other anatomical characters are — skull desmognathous ; nasals holorhinal ; mandible not produced and recurved behind its articu- lation with the quadrate ; basipterygoid processes absent, or at any rate rudimentary ; oil-gland tufted ; caeca small ; leg-muscles varying. The young are hatched blind, either naked or downy, and pass through a long helpless stage, during which they are dependent on their parents. There are five well-marked families constituting this Order, which contains the birds generally known as Cormorants, Darters, Gannets, Pelicans, Frigate- and Tropic-Birds. Each family consists of only one genus, except the first, to which the Cormorants and Darters are assigned. The relationship of this Order to the others is rather obscure ; most authors connect these birds with the Birds of Prey, which they here follow; but Garrod and Beddard consider that the Tubinares are more closely allied to them. Key of the Genera. A. Tail rounded or wedge-shaped ; toes fully webbed. a. Middle tail-feathers not produced; nostrils more or less rudimentary. 1 VOL. IV. ^A PHALACROCORACID^ PHALACROCORAX a}. Bill somewhat" slender and distinctly hooked; wings short and rounded Phalacrocorax. p. h^. Bill very slender and sharp-pointed ; wings long and pointed Plot us, yi. 11. c^. Bill stout and subcylindrical ; nostrils obsolete in the adults Sula, p. 16. d}. Bill long and flattened ; size very large Pelecanus, p. 24. b. Middle tail-feathers much elongated and attenuated ; nostrils distinct and pervious ; ^ bill compressed and pointed . Phaethon, p. 23. B. Tail deeply forked ; webs between the toes emarginate P'regata, p. 22. Family I. PHALACROCORACID^. The Cormorants and Darters are diving birds with long flexible necks and generally of black or sooty plumage. The nostrils are small and not pervious, and the cervical vertebrae are twenty in number ; the f urculum is not fused to the keel of the sternum ; the tongue is very small, almost rudimentary in Pktits ; the skin is not emphysematous, that is to say there are no air-spaces within it; the pterylosis is nearly uniform, the feathering very thick, the apteria or bare spaces being reduced to a very narrow tract on the breast and another on the back between the shoulder blades. The two genera comprising this family are very distinct in many respects, especially anatomically. They certainly form two sub- families. Subfamily I. PHALACROCOEACIN^. Genus I. PHALACROCORAX. Phalacrocorax, Brisaon, Ornith. vi, p. 511 (1760). Bill subcylindrical and somewhat slender, the upper mandible strongly hooked towards the tip ; a long groove separates the culmen from the side pieces of the bill ; nostrils rudimentary ; wings rather short and rounded, the first three primaries about equal, the third usually slightly the longest ; tail of twelve or fourteen feathers rather short and stiffened, rounded or cuneate ; tarsus short and compressed, all the toes well webbed, the claw of the middle one pectinate. PHALACROCORACID^ PHALACROCORAX This is a large genus, containing some forty species, which are found throughout the whole world except, perhaps, in the Central Pacific. Four of these occur within our limits. Fig. 1. — Eight foot of Phalacrocorax capensis. Key of the Species. A. Tail with fourteen feathers. a. Larger, wing over 12 0; fore-neck and chest white P. lucidus, jy. 4. b. Smaller, wing less than 11*0 ; fore-neck and chest black, like the back P. cajjensis, p. 5. B. Tail of twelve feathers, plumage black throughout. a. Larger, wing between ll'O and 12*0 ; skin of throat black P. neglect us, p. 8. b. Smaller, wing 8-0 to 9*0; skin of throat yellow P. africanus, p. 9. The common Cormorant of Europe (P. carho) has been stated to occur in South Africa on the authority of Messrs. Layard and Andersson, and I unfortunately confirmed what I now believe to have been an error in a paper in the Ibis (1896, p. 522). The example there alluded to as referable to P. carbo is undoubtedly only P. liLcidus in full breeding plumage, and I think it highly improbable that P. carbo ever comes so far south as Cape Colony. 4 PHALACliOCOKACID^ PHALACKOCORAX 564. Phalacrocorax lucidus. White-breasted Duiker. Halieus lucidus, Licht., Verz. Doubl. p. 86 (1823). Graculus lucidus, Grill, K. Vet. Ahad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 56 (1858) [Knysna] ; Layard, Ibis, 1868, p. 120; Peheln, Novara Reise, Vog. p. 158 (1865). Graculus carbo {nee Linn.), Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 380 (1867) ; ? Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 367 (1872) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 214. Phalacrocorax lucidus, Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 779 (1884) ; , Swinburne, P. H. Phys. Soc. Edin. ix, p. 201 (1886) ; W. L Sclater, Ibis, 1896, pp. 521, 1904, p. 84 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 160 (1896) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 351 (1898) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 203 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 268 ; Heichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 89 (1900) ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 199 (1902). Description. Adult. — Crown, back of the neck, middle of the back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and body below from the middle of the breast to the under tail-coverts black, slightly glossed with green ; scapulars and wing-coverts bronzy-brown edged with black ; wing-quills and tail blackish, slightly glossed with silvery-bronze ; the throat, sides and front of the neck, upper chest and a patch on the flanks white ; tail of fourteen feathers ; head with a few elongated crest feathers. Iris green ; upper mandible black, lower mandible becoming dull white towards the base ; pouch mottled greenish and yellow ; a yellowish patch below each eye ; legs black. Length about 85*0 ; wing 12-75 ; tail 5-0 ; culmen 3-75 ; tarsus 2-5. A young bird is much browner above owing to a number of narrow whity plumes being mingled with the black, especially on the head and neck ; the scapulars and wing-coverts are silvery rather than bronze-brown, and the white of the lower surface extends back to the under tail-coverts, but the flanks and thighs are black, the latter being sometimes slightly mottled with white. Albino varieties are sometimes met with. Distribution. — The White-breasted Cormorant is found along the coasts of Cape Colony throughout its extent, and is probably the bird alluded to under the name of Graculus carbo by Andersson as occurring in Walvisch Bay, as it has been met with further north, at Landana, in Angola, by Anchieta, while Alexander found it not uncommon in the Cape Verde Islands ; up the east coast it occurs as far as Socotra and the Abyssinian coast. Though more usually confined to the coast, it is sometimes met with inland. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Port PHALACROCORACID.T] PHALACKOCORAX O Nolloth (S. A. Mus.), Lambert's Bay, Berg Kiver Mouth and Hoetjes Bay (Stark), Dassen Island, Table Bay (S. A. Mus.), Knysna (Stark), Port Elizabeth (Brown), Port St. Jobns (Shortridge) ; Natal- Eight miles off mouth of Ifafa River (Woodward) ; Orange River- Colouy — Kroonstad (Barratt), Vredefort Ed. (B. Hamilton), Beth- lehem, breeding in May (Sparrow) ; Rhodesia — Umfuli and other Mashonaland Rivers (Marshall). Habits. — Though not nearly so common as the next species (P. capensis), the White-breasted Duiker cannot be called a scarce bird. It is generally seen singly or in pairs flying along with the characteristic flapping flight of all the Cormorants, or sitting on a rock on the edge of the sea drying and sunning itself. It breeds on most of the islands round the coast of the Colony, noticeably so on Dassen Isle and Marcus Isle at the entrance of Saldanha Bay, also at Dyers Isle off the coast of Bredasdorp, and on a rock just outside the Knysna Heads. The breeding season seems by no means uniform, as the birds were nesting on Dassen Island when I visited it in July, while Stark (according to his note-book) found young birds as well as eggs on the rock off Knysna in February. The eggs are like those of other Cormorants, differing only in size ; they are pale blue in colour and covered with a coat of white chalky matter, which sometimes wears off partially or entirely. Eggs in the South African Museum are nearly regular ovals, measuring 2-50 x 1*60. , Major Sparrow found a pair of this Duiker nesting in a willow- tree on the shore of the lake at Bethlehem, in the Orange River Colony, on May 16th. The clutch consisted of four eggs. Am m w 1 ,^^^ ^-t' ^e, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 730 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 297; Shelley, B. Afr. *i, p. 159 (1896) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 267. CICONIID^ ABDIMIA 33 Sphenorhynchus abdimii., Gurneij in Anderssoii s B. Damaral. p. 280 (1872) ; Oales, Mataheleland, p. 327 (1881) ; Fleck, Journ. OrnUh- 1894, p. 386. Abdimia abdimii, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 292 (1898) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 343 (1901). Description. Adult Male. — General colour above black, slightly glossed with steel green and purple, more distinctly on the hind neck; back, rump and upper tail-coverts white; wing-coverts blackish, glossed with steel green and purple, lesser coverts almost coppery ; wings and tail like the coverts ; head, neck and fore-neck metallic green and purple ; rest of the under surface from the fore- neck downwards, including the axillaries and under tail-coverts, white ; under wing-coverts blackish, with a metallic green gloss. Fig. 8. — Head of Abdimia abdimii. x | Iris greyish-brown ; bill horny-green with crimson tip ; cheeks bright lead colour ; skin round the ears, in front of the eyes, nostrils and throat crimson ; legs dull olive ; feet and knees crimson ; claws black. Length about 30; wing 17-5 ; tail 72 ; culmen 4-4 ; tarsus 4-8. The sexes are alike ; the young differs from the adult in wanting the metallic lustre, the head and neck being brown without gloss ; iris light tawny-brown ; bill reddish towards the tip, greenish towards the base ; bare skin round the eye and chin red, in front of the ear bluish ; legs and feet dingy brick-red. 3 VOL. IV. 34 CICONIID^ DISSURA Distribution. — The White-bellied Stork is found throughout the drier parts of Africa from Senegambia and the Upper Nile south- wards. It is also met with in Southern Arabia, and is stated to have wandered into Southern Spain, but does not occur in the tropical portion of the West Coast of Africa. Within our limits it appears to be common during the rainy season in the summer in parts of Griqualaud West, German South- west Africa and Ehodesia, but is very rare south of the Orange Kiver and has not been noticed in Natal. The following are localities : Cape Colony — King WiUiams Town (Trevelyan in Bt. Mus.), Spaldings, in Barkly, February, Makara Eiver, in Vryburg, January (Ayres) ; Transvaal — near Mooi Eiver in Potchefstroom dist., January (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Chapman) ; Ehodesia — Matoppos (Albany Mus.), near Salisbury, in summer (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — Damaraland, in summer (Andersson), Eeheboth, January, Doorn- fontein, March (Fleck). Habits. — This Stork inhabits open grassy country near rivers and swamps, and is generally met with in large flocks ; it is specially fond of locusts, and is usually found in the neighbour- hood of swarms of this insect, but it also devours beetles, small reptiles, fishes and other animals. On hot days it often soars to a great height above the ground, so that it becomes a mere speck in the blue sky. It seems to be found in South Africa only in the summer months, and has not been detected breeding ; but in Dongola and on the Upper Nile it nests, according to Heugliu, in July and August about the villages, and even on the straw huts of the natives. Chapman remarks that the flesh of this Stork is very good eating, but Ayres states the contrary. Genus II. DISSURA. TyjJe. Dissoura, Cab. Preuss. Staats Anz. Beilage, Sept. 1, 1850, p. 1484 D. episcopus. Bill long, the culmen nearly straiglit, very slightly decurved towards the tip ; sides of the face and throat feathered, except just in front of the eye and on the space between the lower mandibles ; neck covered with woolly down all round ; tail-feathers black, very strongly graduated so as to' form a deep fork, and exceeded in' CICONIID^ DISSUBA 35 length by the under tail- coverts, which are white and stiffened_so as to resemble the true rectrices ; legs rather short, the tarsus not twice the length of the middle toe and claw and covered throughout with hexagonal scales. Fig. 9. — Tail of Dissura microscelis. x l, from above to show the black rectrices and the elongated white under tail coverts. This genus is spread all over the Ethiopian and Indian regions as far as Cochin China and Celebes. Two species are recognised by Eeichenow, who distinguishes the Indian from the African bird. / ^^ 577. Dissura microscelis. Woolly -necked Stork. Ciconia microscelis, Gray, Gen. Bds. iii, p. 561, pi. 151 (1848). Ciconia leucocephala {nee Gmel.) Giirney. Ibis, 1859, p. 248 [Natal] ; Layarcl, B. S. Afr. p. 315 (1867). Ciconia episcopus (nee Bodd.) Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 731 (1884) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896) ; Shortridge, Jbis, 1904, p. 206. Dissoura episcopus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 294 (1898). Dissoura microscelis, Beichenoiv, Vbg. Afr. i, p. 347 (1901) ; Finsch, Orn. Monatsh. 1904, p. 95. Description. — Forehead and crown black, the latter streaked with white, a narrow white band on the forehead ; hinder parts of the head and neck clothed with white woolly down ; sides of the head and chin less thickly covered with white down and spotted with black ; lower neck, rest of the upper surface and breast black with reddish and greenish coppery metallic reflections ; tail-feathers like 36 CICONIID^ DISSURA the back in colour, very deeply graduated and forked, and not to be confused with the long and strong white under tail-coverts, some of which exceed the rectrices proper in length ; bejow, including the axillaries and under wing-coverts, black, with metallic gloss ; abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; leg feathering white mixed with black. Iris dark red ; bill black, reddish along the culmen and at the tip ; legs dull reddish-black. Dimensions (of a female) ; length (in flesh) 34-25 ; wing 18 ; tail 7-0 ; culmen 5-5 ; tarsus 625 ; middle toe and claw 3-5. A male is similar in plumage but a little larger ; wing 20 ; culmen 6-5. Fig. 10. — Head of Dissura microscelis. Young birds have less gloss and a basal hne of white feathers on the forehead, which gradually disappears. Distribution. — The Woolly-necked Stork is found throughout Africa from the Gambia and Abyssinia southwards. It is repre- sented in Southern Asia by a closely allied species, hitherto con- sidered identical with it but recently separated by Eeichenow on account of its somewhat larger size and different markings. In South Africa this Stork appears to be a very rare bird. It was recorded many years ago from the coast of Natal, by Ayres, and there are two examples of it in the British Museum labelled Cape Colony, while recently the South African Museum has acquired a specimen from the St. Johns' Eiver in Pondoland, where it is stated to be not infrequent. Habits. — Mr. Ayres states that this Stork frequents the bays and swamps along the coast of Natal, where it wades in the receding CIC0NIID5!: CICONIA 37 tide after small crabs and shell fish, on which it chiefly feeds ; it is gregarious and not very shy, and the flesh is coarse. Mr. SHort- ridge observed a flock of six of these birds, which came down to the St. Johns' Eiver in September, 1902, accompanied by a single Black Stork. He tells me that they are known locally as the " Pied Hadadah," and that they visit the St. Johns' Eiver regularly during the winter. This species is not known to nest in South Africa, but in the Shilluk country of the Upper Nile Antinori noted a breeding place, in December. The nests were on low trees at some distance apart from one another, and one of them contained two young in down. Genus III. CICONIA. Type. Ciconia, Briss. Orn. v, p. 361 (1760) C. alba. Bill straight, tapering and pointed, culmen shorter than the tarsus, the tomise or cutting edges of the mandibles meeting through- out their length, and the angle at the gonys hardly marked, so that the lower edge of the lower mandible is nearly straight ; head and neck fully feathered except for a space surrounding- the eye and a small space on the throat ; tail-coverts, both upper and lower, normal, rather long but not stiffened or elongated, or in any way resembling the true rectrices ; tarsi long, more than twice the length of the middle toe and covered with reticulate scales. Three species of this genus are generally recognised, two of which visit South Africa during the southern summer months. The range of the genus includes the whole of the Palaearctic, Ethiopian and Indian regions. Key of the Species. A. Head, neck and upper back white C. alba, p. 37. B. Head, neck and upper back black, with metallic gloss C. nigra, p. 39. 578. Ciconia alba. White Stork. Ardea ciconia, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, p. 235 (1766). Ciconia alba, Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 220 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 314 (1867) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 280 (1872)'; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 297, pi. 405 (1873) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 104 ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 389; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 327 (1881); Holub ^ Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 286 (1882) ; Butler, Feilden ^ 38 CICONIID^ CIC0NI4 Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 423 ; Sharpe, ed. Laijard's B. S. Afr. p. 728 (1884); Seehohm, Ibis, 1887, p. 345; Kirbij, Haunts Wild Game p. 559 (1896) ; Bryden, Nat. and Sjwrt, p. 44 (1897) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B p. 199 (1899) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, p. 574 ; White- head, Ibis, 1903, p. 237. Ciconia ciconia, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 299 (1898) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 345 (1901). "■Great Locust Bird" of the English, *' Springhaans Vogel " of the Dutch ; " Ingolantete" of the Zulus (Woodward). Description. Adult male. — General colour above and below white, the wings, including the prinaary coverts, primaries, secon- daries and scapulars, black, with a slight greenish or purplish gloss. Iris brown ; bill dark red ; skin of pouch black anteriorly, red posteriorly ; skin round the eye black ; legs and feet reddish-pink, claws black. Fig. 11.- -Head of Ciconia alba Length about 46-0; wing 24-0; tail 10-0; culmen 7*0; tarsus 8*5 ; middle toe and claw 3-5. The female resembles the male, and the young bird is like the adult, but has the wings browner and not 'so glossy. The length of the bill varies considerably, and in some specimens the inner wing- quills are powdered with slaty-grey, to a greater or lesser extent. Distribution. — The White Stork is found throughout temperate Europe, from Spain to Germany and South Eussia, extending eastwards to Turkestan, in all of which countries it breeds. In the British Isles it is only an irregular visi4ior. During the northern winter it retreats southwards to Africa and India. Within our limits it is found most abundantly to the north of the Orange Eiver, but its movements are everywhere somewhat irregular, depending to a great extent on the sw^arms of locusts on which it chiefly feeds. CICONIID^ CICONIA 39 The following are localities : Cape Colony^Cape div. (S. A. Mus.), Port Elizabeth, irregular visitor (Brown), King William's Town, irregular migrant (Trev.elyan), Orange River, near Aliwal North, February (Whitehead), Delpoortshope, in Barkly West, in summer (Holub), Setlagoli, in Mafeking (Bryden) ; Natal— Upper Umkomas dist. (Woodward), Colenso, November (Reid), Newcastle, Upper Bushmans River and Mooi River, November, December (Sparrow); Transvaal — Limpopo River in large flocks (Buckley), Potchefstroom, rare (Ayres), near Johannesburg, common (Haagner), Lydenburg .dist., in summer (Kirby) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson); Rhodesia — Ramaqueban River, near Tati, November (Gates), Feira on the Zambesi, December (Stoehr in S. A. Mus.) ; German South-west Africa — Gndonga and North Damaralarid (abundant in rainy season), South Damaraland, occasionally (Andersson). Habits. — Gne of the most familiar birds of Holland and Germany, where it enters abundantly into all popular songs and fables, the White Stork is in South Africa specially esteemed for its locust-devouring propensities. It usually arrives in Gctober or November, in large flocks of 300 or 400 birds, which disperse over the country, and hunt for insects during the day, while at night they resort to tall trees, generally Yellow-woods, to roost. Together with the Wattled Starling (Dilophus carunculatus) and the Pratin- cole {Glareola nordmanni), they follow the flights of locusts and feed largely upon them, and in consequence of this their movements are very irregular. No properly authenticated instance of the White Stork breeding in South Africa is known, though Mrs. Barber and Mr. Seebohm both give unconfirmed rumours on the subject. Major Sparrow, too, writes to me that in the upper part of Natal, where the bird is common in November and December, he has been told of the exist- ence of nests of the species, though he has never found one himself. In Holland and Germany the nest, which is built of sticks, and added to year after year, is usually placed on buildings, or often on old cart wheels set up for the use of the birds; the eggs, three to five in number, are pure white, and measure about 2-8 x 2-1. 579. Ciconia iiigra. ^/acA; /S^or^. Ardea nigra, Linn., Syst. Nat. i, p. 235 (1766). Ardea chrysopelargus, A. A. H. Lichtenstein, Cat. Ber. Nat. Bar. Hamb., p. 29 (1793). Ciconia nigra, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 315 (1867) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 309, pi. 406 (1873) ; Holub ^ Peheln, Orn. Sud-Afr. p. 287 (1882) ; rf-, 40 CICONIID-ffi CICONIA Shaiye, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 729 (1884); Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 297; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896); Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 303 (1898) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 267 ; Alexander, ibid, p. 441 ; Beichenoiv, Vbg. Afr. i, p. 346 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, p. 574. Description. Adult male. — General colour above dusky-brown to black, glossed with metallic copper and green, the former strongly predominating on the sides of the face and upper throat, the latter round the neck and on the mantle ; below from the chest down- wards, including the axillaries, white ; under wing-coverts dusky brown. Iris brown ; bill, naked skin round the orbit and of the pouch, coral red ; legs and feet the same but darker in front of the tarsus. Length about 46 ; wang 22-5 ; tail 9-75 ; culmen 7*0 ; tarsus 7*5 ; middle toe and claw 3-5. The female is less glossy than the male, and the orbital skin is lead coloured, not red. A young bird is browner than the adult, with hardly any metaUic gloss ; the head and neck are pale brown, with whity-brown tips to the feathers. Distribution. — The Black Stork has a somewhat wider distribu- tion than its white cousin, as its range extends as far east as Mongolia and Northern China. In winter it migrates south to Africa and India. In South Africa it is a somewhat rare bird, and does not appear to have been hitherto noticed in German South-w^est Africa. The following are localities: Cape Colony — Cape div., February and Touws Eiver February (S. A. Mus.), Knysna and Nelspoort in Beau- fort West (Layard), Port Elizabeth, fairly common (Brown), East London (Wood), Port St. John's, once seen (Shortridge), Linokana in Mafeking distr. (Holub) ; Natal— Mooi Eiver, once seen in December (Sparrow); Transvaal — Potchefstroom, June, on one occasion (Ayres), near Johannesburg, rare (Haagner), Pienaars Eiver (Pre- toria Mus.) ; Ehodesia— Soa Salt Lake on Victoria Falls road (Holub), Mashonaland, rare (Marshall); Zambesi Eiver (iVlexander). Habits. — The Black Stork is a more wary and less familiar bird than the White Stork ; it is usually seen solitary or in small parties, though occasionally, probably when migrating, it is met with in larger flocks. It is fond of the mouths of tidal rivers along the coasts, where it finds plenty of small fishes, frogs and crabs, but it also feeds on insects in the drier country of the interior. This Stork is a visitor to South Africa only during the southern summer, though Mr. Wood tells me he once came across one in midwinter {i.e. June) ; it is not known to breed within our limits. CICONIIDJE ANASTOMUS 41 Genus IV. ANASTOMUS. Tyye. Anastomus Bonn., Enc. MM. Orn. p. 93 (1790) A. oscitans. Bill stout and long, distinctly bowed along the culmen, and even more so from the genys to the tip, so that the cutting edges of the mandibles do not meet in the middle of their length ; culmen distinctly longer than the tarsus ; a small bare spot below the eye, and on the chin between the mandibles, otherwise the face and neck well clothed with feathers ; legs short, tarsus considerably less than twice the length of the middle toe and claw. This genus, which can be at once recognised by its curious bill, is found all over the Ethiopian region (including Madagascar) and India. Two species are generally recognised, though some authors consider the bird found in Madagascar as distinct, in which case the number is three. /^^ 580. Anastomus lamelligerus. African Open-hill. Anastomus lamelligerus, Temm. PI. Col. v, pi. 236 (1823) ; Livingstone, Miss. Trav. pp. 252, 494 (1858); Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 317 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 302, 1871, p. 270; Gurney, in Anderssoris B. Damaral. p. 283 (1872) ; Butler, Feilden S Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 423 ; Holub Si' Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 289 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 732 (1884) ; Flech, Jouni. Ornith. 1894, p. 386 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896); Sharjje, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 308 (1898); Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 268; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. \, p. 335 (1901). " Linongolo " in Zambesi Valley (Livingstone). Description. Adult.— GenQroA colour above and below black, with a coppery, purple and green metallic gloss ; the gloss is chiefly developed on the narrow stiffened plumes which clothe the mantle, wing-coverts, lower neck and breast ; the shafts of the feathers of the breast are in addition prolonged into horny, flattened, stiff filaments. Iris very dark brown with an inner ring of yellowish-brown ; bill dusky, basal half whitish ;. sides of the mandibles with a series of oblique ridges. Length 37 ; wing 17'5 ; tail 7-5 ; culmen 7-5 ; tarsus 5-5 ; middle toe and claw 4*5. The sexes are alike ; young birds are browner than the adults and have less gloss ; the wing-coverts, dorsal plumes and feathers of the fore neck and chest have whity-brown tips. 42 CICONIID^ ANASTOMUS Distribution. — The Open-bill is found throughout tropical Africa and Madagascar from the Soudan and Abyssinia southwards. It does not seem to have been met with in the forest districts of the West Coast. In South Africa this species is a very abundant resident along the Zambesi Valley and in the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami ; south of this it is only a straggle/. It has not hitherto been recorded from Cape Colony. J The following are ascertained localities : Natal — near Lady- ^»^ smith, March (Feilden) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, February, twice, recorded (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Lake regions (Andersson), Vu.' Nocana, July (Fleck); Ehodesia — Chobe River (Bradshaw in S. A. _. -rr Mus.), Makabusi River near Salisbury, June (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — Ondonga, resident (Andersson), Ovaquenyama, December (Eriksson in S. A. Mus.) ; Zambesi Valley (Kirk, Living- stone, Holub and Bradshaw). ^/ W\A- FiG. 12. — Head of Anastomus lamelligerus . x | Habits. — This bird, remarkable alike for its curiously shaped bill which, owing to the bowed shape of the upper and lower mandible cannot be closed in its middle portion, and for the almost horny stiff projections of the metalhc breast feathers, is found in marshy localities, especially along the banks of rivers ; they are usually seen in considerable flocks on the Zambesi, where they spend their days in the shallows fishing, while at night they roost in the trees along the bank. They live on small fishes, frogs, crabs, and other water animals, but their favourite food consists of freshwater mollusca, especially those of the genus Ampullaria, the shells of which they crack with their powerful beaks. They breed in large societies among the reeds in the swamps between the Zambesi and the Chobe CICONITD^ EPHIPPIORHYNCHUS 43 Rivers ; the localities are well known to the natives who collect the young for eating purposes. Livingstone relates how 175 unfledged birds were brought to him at Chitlane's village in the Upper Zambesi Valley, and that he found them very fat and delicious when roasted. Genus V. EPHIPPIORHYNCHUS. Tyx>e. Ephippiorhynchus Bp., Consp. Av. ii, p. 106 (1855) E. senegalensis. Bill very long and strong, about the same length as the tarsus, with a flat frontal plate (the saddle) at the base of the culmen, which itself is straight and strongly compressed towards the tip ; the line of the lower mandible bowed upwards beyond the genys ; head and neck fully feathered except a narrow space round the eye and the lores ; tail normal ; legs very long, the tarsus about three times the length of the middle toe and claw ; covered all round with elongated hexagonal shields. Only one species, confined to the Ethiopian Region, is assigned to this genus. 581. Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis. ^ Saddle-bill, or African Jahiru. Mycteria senegalensis, Shaw, Trans. Linn. Soc. v, p. 35, pi. 3 (1798) ; Gurneij, Ibis, 1862, p. 34, 1865, p. 275 [Natal] ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 333 ; Latjard, B. S. Afr. p. 317 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 376 ; Holub Sr Pelzeln, Orn. Slid -Afr. p. 288 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 365 [Mashonaland] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 731 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 297 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896) ; Woodivard Bros., Natal B. p. 200 (1899) ; Millais, Breath from the Veldt, 2nd ed., p. 214, with sketch (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 268; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 441. Ephippiorh^^nchus senegalensis, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 281 (1872) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 312 (1898) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 341 (1901) ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 108 (1902). Descriptio7i. Adult. — Head and neck all round, wing-coverts (except the primary and some of the least marginal coverts), inner secondaries, scapulars, upper tail-coverts and tail black, washed with metallic gloss ; base of the tail-feathers white ; centre of the back and the upper tail-coverts, and below from the fore neck to the under tail-coverts pure white ; primaries, outer secondaries and 44 CICONIID^ EPHIPPIOBHYNCHUS primary coverts white, washed with ashy, especially along the inner webs and at the tips. Iris brown in the male, bright yellow in the female ; bill from the base to the nostril and for the distal third, bright crimson, the median portion black ; frontal shield {i.e., saddle) above the nostrils, bright yellow ; skin round the eye and under the bill as also the two little dependent fleshly lappets, bright crimson ; legs black, the tarsal joint (knee) and toes brick dust red ; a bare spot on the breast bright crimson. Fig, 13. — Head of Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis. x I Length 57-0 ; wang 26-5 ; tail 10-75 ; culmen 13-5 ; tarsus 13-0 ; middle toe and claw 4-25. The young bird is browner than the adult, and the white of the mantle and chest is washed with brown. Distribution. — The Saddle-bill is found all over tropical Africa, from the Gambia on the west and the Upper Nile Valley and Abyssinia in the east southwards. This Stork is everywhere in South Africa a somewhat rare bird, though perhaps more often met with towards the Zambesi. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Kleinmont Eiver in Bathurst district (only once seen, Layard) ; Natal — (very rare, Ayres, and Woodward) ; Transvaal — Rustenburg, April (once obtained, Ayres) ; Ehodesia — Matabeleland (Exton in S. A. Mus.), Nata River in West Matabeleland, June (Holub), near Salisbury (Marshall), lower Nuanetsi River (Millais) ; German South-west Africa — Ondonga and New Barmen (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Lower Zambesi (Kirk and Alexander), Inhambane (Millar), near Delagoa Bay (Layard). Habits. — Little has been recorded about the habits of the CICONIID^ LEPTOPTILUS • 45 Saddle-bill; Ayres states that it is a scarce bird in Natal, ^' though a pair may occasionally be seen at low water on the mud banks in the centre of the bay, and they also frequent the lagoons and marshes at the mouths of rivers ; when a pair are feeding together they sometimes stop suddenly and skip or dance round and round in a small circle, then stop and bow to each other and again resume their quaint dance. Their food consists of fishes, frogs, crabs and shrimps, and they are generally seen in pairs, though Millais states that he saw a very large number all together on the Lower Nuanetsi in the south-east corner of Ehodesia. This Stork is not definitely known to breed in South Africa, but there are eggs of it in the British Museum said to have come from South x\frica ; they are dull white, slightly glossy, coarse in texture and covered with minute pores ; they measure about 3-05 X 2-23. Mr. Millar came across a number of these Storks in the lower Zambesi valley ; they frequent pans and are also found in the open plains, but are shy and difficult to approach. Their flight is gener- ally low, though they sometimes circle to a great height in the air. They become easily domesticated and readily catch food, when thrown to them, with their enormous bills. Genus VI. LEPTOPTILUS. Type. Leptoptilos Lesson, Traite cVOrn., p. 583 (1831) ... L. javanicus. Bill large and stout but with no marked "saddle" plate as in Ephippiorhynchus, the culmen straight throughout and the line of the lower mandible but slightly upcurved beyond the genys ; whole head and neck and the upper median portion of the breast bare of feathers, but sometimes covered, especially in young birds, with a sparse woolly down ; from the lower part in the fore-neck depends a pouch of skin, the interior of which is in communication with the air- sac system, and can be inflated at the will of the bird ; the pouch is not connected with the crop in any way ; tail-feathers normal, under tail-coverts composed of some downy plumes ; legs long, tarsus about the same length as the bill and more than twice the length of the middle toe and claw, covered with elongated hexagonal scales all round. * ^Ir. Millar tells me he has never seen it or even heard of it in Natal of late years. 46 eiCONIID^ LEPTOPTILUS The range of this genus includes the Ethiopian and Orienta regions extending to Southern China and Borneo. Three species are generally recognised, only one of which is found within our limits. i ^(d ^S2. Leptoptilus crumeniferus. Marabou. Giconia argala, {nee Lath.), Temm. PL Col. v. pi. 301 (1824). Leptoptilos crumenifera, Less., Traite d'Orn. p. 585 (1831) ; Layard, B. S. Afr.-p. 316 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 259 ; id. in Anders- son's B. Damaral. p. 282 (1872) ; Holub & Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 287 (1882) ; Shelleij, Ibis, 1882, p. 365 [Umvuli Eiver] ; Sharpe, ed. Laijard's B. S. Afr. p. 734 (1884) ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 63 ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, pp. 361, 386 ; Kirby, Haunts of Wild Game, p. 559 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 319 (1898) ; Wood- ward Bros., Natal B. p. 201 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 268 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 338 (1901). Leptoptilus argala, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896). Descriptioji. Adult. — Head and neck, as far as the shoulders and centre of the breast and projecting pouch, bare of feathers ; general colour above black with metallic reflections, the greater coverts, inner secondaries and scapulars with white margins ; below white throughout. Iris brown ; bill dirty green ; bare skin of the head and neck dirty yellowish ; legs black, covered with a line, ashy powder. Length 400; wing 29-0 ; tail 118 ; culmen 10-8; tarsus 110 ; middle toe and claw 4-5. These measurements are presumably those of a female, the male appears to be slightly larger — wing 31-0; tail 14-0. Young birds have a smaller bill and the hind part of the head and neck are clothed more or less with woolly down, with sometimes remains of a few feathers ; the edging to the coverts and secondaries is light brown or whitish, and much less marked than in the adults. Dist7ib2itio7i. — The Marabou is spread over tropical Africa from the Gambia in the west, and from Khartoum on the Nile in the east, southwards. Within our limits it is found commonly only along the Zambesi Valley and in the neighbourhood of Lake Ngami, though stragglers have been reported from further south from time to time. The following are ascertained localities : Cape Colony — Zwart-kei Eiver in Queenstovvn division (once obtained by Bowker and Layard) ; CIC0NIID3: LEPTOPTILUS 47 Natal — Escourt in 1894 (Darban Museum) ; Transvaal— near Pre- toria, Mallabas on the Limpopo River and Rooi-rand, June (W.~ Ayres), Lydenburg district, not uncommon (Kirby) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami, resident (Andersson), in June (Fleck) ; Rhodesia — Chobe swamps (Holub), Umfuli River, October (x\yres) : German South-west Africa — Ondonga and Damaraland, plentiful in the rains (Andersson). Fig. 14.— Head of Leptoptilus crumeniferus. Habits. — The Marabou, which is closely allied to the well-known Adjutant of India, is a Stork which has adopted, to a large extent, the habits of a Vulture. It appears where carrion is to be found, and shares with the Vultures and Ravens in their loathsome meal. It generally alights on a tree on its arrival on the scene, and is powerful enough to hold its own with its competitors, chiefly owing to its strong, sharp-pointed beak. It does not rely, however, entirely on these sources for its food, but devours fishes, crabs and insects of various kinds as well. The curious pouch in front of the neck has nothing to do with the crop or digestive apparatus of the bird, but is connected with the air-sac and lungs; it can be inflated at the will of the bird, and often reaches a considerable size. The Marabou is a rare bird everywhere in South Africa, and in consequence its habits and curious attitudes and ways are not familiar to the inhabitants as are those of the Adjutant in India; 48 CICONIID^ PSEUDOTANTALUS but it often stands for considerable periods with its legs either perpendicular or slightly straddled, its back almost in a straight line and its head retracted down between its shoulders. When in this position it has a ridiculous resemblance to an old gentleman standing with his back to the fire, and in consequence it has been frequently made use of by artists in caricature. Andersson writes as follows : "It is usually seen in flocks, some- times on the ground, and at others perched on trees. It will remain for hours in the same position with one foot drawn up under its body, and a number of individuals seen in this attitude through the fantastic medium of a mirage, present a singular and ridiculous appearance. It is a true scavenger, feeding on carrion as well as on the most offensive offal ; but it also captures living prey, such as fishes, tortoises and snakes." Mr. W. Ayres met with the Marabou near Pretoria, just after the first Boer War ; they came to feed on the dead mules and cattle lying about the camp. Like other Storks the Marabou has no voice organs or voice, but makes a clappering sound by rapidly opening and closing its beak. The Marabou gives its name to the beautiful soft white feathers so-called ; they come from the under tail-coverts of the bird, and are obtained not only from the present species, but also from the Indian Adjutant. So far as I am aware, the Marabou has not been known to nest within our limits. Fischer, the German collector and naturaUst, found a breeding place in East Africa near Kihmanjaro ; the nests, about thirty in number, were built in the highest trees of the band of forest along a river. The eggs are oval, white, and without gloss, measuring about 3-25 x 2*20. Genus VII. PSEUDOTANTALUS. Tyjpe. Pseudotantalus Bidgway, Proc. U, S. Nat. Mus. v. p. 550 (1883) P. ibis. Bill smooth and long, slightly exceeding the tarsus in length ; the ciilmen rounded, not ridged and distinctly decurved at the tip ; lower mandible sHghtly concave between the genys and the tip ; nostrils quite at the base of the bill, oval, and opening into a groove ; crown, occiput, sides of the face and throat bare of feathers, but not the neck ; tail normal ; legs long, the tarsus about twice the CICONIID^ PSEUDOTANTALUS 49 length of the middle toe and claw, covered with elongate hexagonal_ scales. Three species of this genus have been described, one ranging over Africa, and two over Southern Asia as far as China and the Malayan Islands. ^^^ 583. Pseudotantalus ibis. Wood Ibis. Tantalus ibis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12fcli ed. i, p. 241 (1766) ; Kirh, Ibis, 1864, p. 334 ; Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 318 (1867) ; Gurney in Anders- son's B. Damaral. p. 296 (1872) ; id. Ibis, 1873, p. 256 [Durban Har- bour] ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 211 ; Holub & Pelzeln Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 290 (1882) ; Bnjden, Gun and Camera, p. 408 (1893) ; Fleck, Joiirn. Ornith. 1894, p. 386; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 160 (1896); Wood- ward Bros. Natal B. p. 202 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 333 (1901). Pseudotantalus ibis, Sharjje, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 735 (1884) ; id. Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 327 (1898). Descriiotion. Adult. — General colour above white, with a rosy wash throughout ; the wing-coverts with a strong subterminal bar of crimson-lake as well; primaries, their coverts, secondaries and tail black, strongly glossed with metallic green ; crown of the head, sides of the face and throat bare of feathers ; neck all round and under parts throughout white ; the axillaries and under tail-coverts white tinged with pink, while the under . wing-coverts are much more strongly marked with a rich crimson subterminal band. Iris brown ; bill golden-yellow ; bare parts of the face red, with a narrow border of yellow ; feet brick-red, toes black. Length about 46-0 : wing 21-0 ; tail 7-0 ; culmen 9-5 ; tarsus 8-5 ; middle toe and claw 4-5. In the young bird the back, wings and neck are brown, and the bare part of the face is yellow. Distribution. — The Wood Ibis is found throughout tropical Africa from the Gambia and Nubia southwards. It also inhabits Madagascar. It is a rare bird south of the Zambesi, and is apparently only a straggler from the north, but it is not uncommon along that, river and its affluents, and in the districts about Lake Ngami. The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony — Knysna, February (Stark), Port Elizabeth, rare (Brown), Sterkstroom (Albany Mus.), Nelspoort, in Beaufort West, twice procured (Layard); Natal — Durban Harbour (x\yres) ; Transvaal — Brakfontein in Marico 4 ■ VOL. IV. 50 CICONIID^ PSEUDOTANTALUS district (Holub), Potchefstroom (Barratt) ; Bechuanaland — Lake region, common resident (Andersson), Botletli Eiver (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa — Damaraland, scarce (Andersson), Hoaseb, on Nosob Eiver, April (Fleck) ; Zambesi Valley (Kirk and Bradsbaw in Bt. Mus.). Habits. — The Wood Ibis is found along rivers and streams where there are mud or sand banks, on which it searches for its food. It also wades in shallow water for the same purpose. It is usually seen in small parties, and is a rare bird. Fig. 15. — Head of Pseudotantalus ibis, x i Dr. Stark met with this species at Knysna, in February, 1897, and the following account is taken from his note-book : '* On the flats, and in the shallow water left at low tide in Knysna Bay, I noticed nearly every day seven or eight Wood Ibises. They are conspicuous birds, from their size and glistening white plumage. Their long yellow beaks and the bright red skin of the anterior part of the face are also visible at a great distance. On the 26th I saw nineteen of these birds together (including four young of the year, known by their greyish-brown plumage), wading about nearly up to their belligs in water, and often with the entire beak and head sub- merged. On two occasions I noticed a fishing and wading bird stretch out one wing to give a shade on the water, after the manner of a Heron. Their flight is Stork-like, with neck and legs out- stretched, and somewhat heavy and slow. On another occasion I saw some of these birds fishing in shallow water overgrown with grass and weeds ; they stuck their widely-opened mandibles among the weeds, and felt about apparently with their tongues. The birds were all comparatively tame, and were often feeding within one hundred yards of the village." SCOPID^ SCOPUS 51 Family II. SCOPID^. -- The external characters of the family will be found under the description of the unique genus ; in its anatomical characters it is somewhat intermediate between the Storks and Herons. The cervical vertebrae are sixteen in number ; the syrinx is typical and provided with intrinsic muscles; there are no powder-down patches; the hind toe is on the same plane as the others; of the five Garrodian thigh muscles, the femorocaudal, semitendinosus and accessory semitendinosus alone are present. Genus I. SCOPUS. Type. Scopus Gmel, Syst. Nat. i, p. 618 (1788) S. umbretta. Bill stout and strong, the culmen narrow and ridged, with the nasal groove extending along its whole length ; the line of the culmen straight, decurved only at the tip ; lores fully feathered ; ten primaries, twelve tail feathers ; lower half of the tibia bare of feathers ; tarsus longer than the middle toe and claw, covered with hexagonal scales ; a well developed basal web between the three front toes, that between the middle and outer toe largest ; claw of the middle toe pectinated on the inner side. Only one species is known, spread over the whole of the Ethiopian region, including Southern Arabia and Madagascar. 584. Scopus umbretta. Hammerkop. Scopus umbretta, Gmel, Syst. Nat. i, p. 618 (1788) ; Grill, K. Vet. Akad. Handl. Stockh. ii, no. 10, p. 55 (1858) [Knysna]; Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 248 [Natal] ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 333 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 312 (1867); Ay res. Ibis, 1871, p. 265, 1880, p. 26g; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 294 (1872) ; BiicMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 389 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 86 ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 327 (1881) ; Holub Sf Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 277 (with figs, of head, nest and skeleton) (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 [Mashonaland] ; Butler, Feilden Sf Eeid, Zool. 1882, p. 344 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 725 (1885) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 387 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 159 (1896) ; Bendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 176 ; Woodward Bros., Ibis, 1897, p. 415 ; id. Natal B. p. 199 (1899) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 288 (1898) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 267 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 441 ; Haagner, Ibis, 1901, p. 193, 1902, pp. 574, 581 ; Harris, Essays 52 SCOPID^ SCOPUS caid Photographs, p. 146, pi. 38 [nest] (1901) ; Beichenoiv, Vdg. Afr. i, p. 353 (1901) ; Helhnayr, Jouni. Ornith, 1902, p. 236 [Pienaars Kiver] ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237 ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 109 (1902); Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 16 [Deelfontein] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 206. " Hammerkop " or sometimes " Paddevanger " (i.e., Toad-catcher) of the Dutch; "Mudlark" of Natal Colonists; "Utekwane" of the Amaxosa (Stanford) ; " Itegwana " of the Zulus (Woodward) ; " Machanoka" in the Transvaal (Penther). Description. Adult. — General colour above sepia brown with here and there slight traces of a purplish gloss ; a noticeable crest on the nape ; the feathers about three inches long ; wing-quills darker than the back with a stronger purplish gloss ; tail also some- what glossy, paler with a broad darker subterminal band and six or seven narrow, rather irregular, transverse bands above ; below brown throughout, rather paler than the back, under tail-coverts barred with darker. Iris dark brown ; bill and legs black. Length of a male (in the flesh) 22-25; wing 12-75; tail 670; culmen 3-30; tarsus 3-0; middle toe and claw 2*85. The female resembles the male in plumage and measurements. The nestling is covered with white down with a slight greyish tinge on the back. Distribution. — The Hammerkop is found throughout the whole of Africa from Senegal and Abyssinia southwards as well as in Arabia and Madagascar. It appears to be a resident everywhere. In South Africa this bird is abundant throughout the country from near Cape Town to the Zambesi, as is shown in the following list of recorded localities. Cape Colony — Cape, Malmesbury, Caledon, Hanover, Middelburg and Pondoland divisions (S. A. Mus.), Knysna (Victorin), Nelspoort in Beaufort West, breediog (Layard), Deelfontein (Seimund), Orange Eiver, near Aliwal North (White- head), P«rt Elizabeth and East London (Eickard) ; Natal — near Durban (Shelley), near Maritzburg (Bt. Mus.), Ladysmith and Newcastle (Butler), Zululand (Woodward) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Vredefort Ed. (B. Hamilton) ; Basutoland, common (W. L. Sclater), Transvaal — Potchefstroom (Ayres), Pienaars Eiver Bridge in Pre- toria district (Penther), near Johannesburg (Haagner), Barberton (Eendall) ; Bechuanaland — Makalapsi Eiver (Oates) ; Ehodesia — Zambesi at Victoria Falls (W. L. Sclater), near Salisbury (Mar- shall) ; German South-west Africa — Damaraland and Namaqualand (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Chicowa on the Zambesi (Alexander). SCOPID^ SCOPUS 53 Habits. — This singular bird, remarkable alike for its habits and its structure is fairly common throughout South Africa and is a resident species. It is generally seen solitary or perhaps occa- sionally in pairs, and never far from water either of rivers or lakes. Here it can often be observed standing motionless and meditative with its head drawn down somewhat between its shoulders ; its food consists of water insects, frogs, and small fishes, which it obtains Fig. 1G. — Scojms umhreAta. by searching along the shallows of the rivers and macrshes. It is chiefly seen at dusk and rises with a somewhat laboured flight, giving utterance to a harsh, metallic note ; when two or three meet together they often go through a number of weird gambols ; Marshall describes meeting three of them solemnly dancing round one another bowing and flapping their wings and exhibiting all sorts of strange antics, which were all the more ludicrous in so stolid- looking a bird ; they are much attached to particular localities and seem to remain there for many years. 54 ARDEID^ The nest has often been described ; it is figured by Holub, while Harris reproduces in his Sketches a photograph of one taken by him. It is a huge structure composed of sticks and twigs, often with reeds and grass all cemented together with mud ; sometimes it is placed on the ground, usually on the side of a krantz or in some very inaccessible spot, sometimes in a tree, generally low down, but always near water ; the entrance is on the most inaccessible side and leads by a narrow passage into a small rounded central chamber plastered with mud ; the outside is often ornamented with stones, old tins, bones, and other objects. Haagner measured one which was a yard and a half in diameter across the top and a yard in height ; it was more or less flat on the top and pointed below and somewhat dome shaped, and so strongly constructed that he was able to stand upon the top without causing any damage. The usual number of eggs is four, laid generally in October, but sometimes earlier ; Captain Eeid obtained his on May 30 ; there is a clutch of four in the South African Museum taken by Major Sparrow, at Waschbank, in Natal, on October 9 ; they are white and slightly chalky, without any gloss but quite smooth ; they measure about 1-80 x 1*40. Family III. ARDEID^. This family is a large one, containing the Herons, Egrets, Bitterns, and their allies. The bill is slender and straight, with the usual groove, and is generally notched at the tip; there are eleven primaries, and the number of the rectrices varies from eight to twelve ; the hind toe is on a level with the others ; between the outer and middle toes there is a broad basal web, which is nearly obsolete between the other two ; the claw of the middle toe is pectinated ; the eggs are generally blue ; the young when hatched are covered with hairy down, and are fed for some time by the parents. Anatomical characters are as follows : — From eighteen to twenty cervical vertebrae ; skull holorhinal ;' angle of the mandible not produced beyond the articulation of the quadrate ; syrinx with intrinsic muscles ; two fused carotids ; femorocaudal, semitendinosus and accessory semitendinosus muscles present, the first named occasionally wanting ; four to six powder-down patches. The key of the genera will be found on p. 29. ARDEIDJ5 ARDEA 55 Genus I. ARDEA. Type- Ardea Brlss. Oni. v, p. 391 (1760) A. cinerea. Bill long, straight and pointed, at least two- thirds the length of the tarsus ; grooved on the sides of the upper mandible ; nostrils elongated slits towards the base of the groove ; a bare space from the base of the bill to the eye ; wings long, but the primaries not longer than the secondaries ; tail short, nearly square, of twelve feathers ; legs long, lower third at least of the tibio-tarsus bare of feathers, the bare portion exceeding the inner toe and claw ; tarsus scutellated in front ; head crested, feathers at the base of the neck and on the scapular region, elongated to form ornamental plumes. Sharps has recently placed the Purple Heron in a separate genus, under the title of Phoyx, on account of the shortness of its tarsus, and the length of the claw of the hallux. The old arrange- ment has here been retained, and under these circumstances the genus contains some eleven species spread over the greater portion of the Earth's surface. Four of them inhabit Africa. Key of the Species. A. Of large size, wing over 20; crown, nape and sides of the neck rufous A. goliafh, p. 55. B. Of intermediate size, wing about 18 ; crown, back and sides of the neck white, sides of the head, nape and crest black A. cinerea, p. 58. C. Of small size, wing under 16. a. Crown, nape and sides of the neck black ... A. melanocepliala, p. 60. h. Crown, nape and back of the neck black, sides of the neck rufous A. purpurea, p. 62. 585. Ardea goliath. Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath, Cretzschm., in Biipp. Atlas, p. 39, pi. 26 (1826) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 220, 1868, p. 256 [Natal] ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 332 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 305 (1867) ; id. Ibisy 1869, p. 376 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 285 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 283, 1877, p. 349 ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 193 ; Butler, Stray Feathers, x, p. 149 (1881) ; Holub d Pelz., Orn. Slid- Afr. p. 273 (1882) ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 343 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 363 [Mashonaland] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 707 (1884) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 387 ; Shelleij, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 66 (1898) ; Woodward bros.. 56 ARDEID.^. ARDEA Natal B. p. 196 (1899); Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440; Beichenon\ Vog. Afr. i, p. 376 (1901) ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 112 (1902). Description. Adult. — Crown of the head, back and sides of the neck rich rufous brown ; chin and throat white ; a black band, narrow above, becoming wider below along the front of the lower half of the neck, the feathers lower down mottled black and white, and elongated into narrow dependent plumes ; back, wings, tail and sides of the lower neck and of the breast slaty, some of the feathers of the back and breast elongated and produced ; edge of the wing varied with white and rufous ; whole of the under parts rich maroon. Iris bright gamboge yellow ; bill black, lower part of the lower mandible pale horny, skin round the eye yellowish-green ; legs and feet black. Length 53 ; wing 225 ; tail 9*0 ; culmen 6-5 ; tarsus 8-0; middle toe 5-75. The young bird is much duller than the adult ; the wing- coverts are all tipped with rusty rufous ; the breast is white, broadly streaked with rusty edges to the feathers. Distribution. — The Goliath is found throughout the greater part of Africa from Senegal in the west and from the neighbourhood of Suakim in the east, southwards to Cape Colony. It has also been met with in Madagascar. It has only once been obtained in India, many years ago, and twice in Ceylon. In South Africa it is nowhere common, though generally dis- tributed in suitable localities. It appears to be plentiful near Potchefstroom, where several observers have seen or obtained specimens. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Zoetendals vlei, in Bredasdorp (reported by Verreaux and Atmore), near East London, October (Wood), near Port St. Johns (Shortridge), Orange Eiver near Upington (Bradshaw) ; Natal — Durban Harbour (Ayres and Gordge), Ifafa (Woodward), Newcastle district, breeding October, (Butler and Eeid) ; Transvaal — near Potchefstroom, in Mooi River swamps (Arnot in S. A. Mus., Barratt, Ayres and Roberts) ; Bechuana- land — Botletli River and Lake Ngami ( Andersson) ; Rhodesia — Chobe River swamps (Bradshaw), Mashonaland, only seen (Ayres) ; Ger man South-west Africa — Okavango River and Damaraland, in rains (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa— Zambesi (Alexander and Kirk). Habits. — This bird, the largest and finest of all the world's Herons, is not gregarious, and is generally seen singly or in pairs ; it hannts the mouths of the rivers and bays along the coast, and is AHDEID.i^ ARDEA 57 only found inland where fair-sized pieces of water exist ; it appears to feed chiefly, at any rate, on fishes, which it obtains by wading, often in fairly deep water, up to its body, transfixing them with its power- ful beak ; Ayres found a two-pound Catfish (Clarias) in the stomach of one individual. When gorged it retires to digest, resting in Durban Harbour on the ground under the mangrove trees. It has a strong, hoarse, croaking voice, somewhat resembling the barking of a dog. Fig. 17.— Nest and eggs of Ardea goUatli, from a photograph by Mr. Austen Roberts. Colonel Butler and Captain Reid found the Goliath nesting in a swamp near the junction of the Ingagane and Buffalo Rivers on the Utrecht side of the river on October 17th. The nest was placed upon the top of a patch of green sedge beaten down by wind and rain in the centre of the vlei ; it was raised about two feet above the level of the water, and was composed of dry sedge and reeds, it was about tw^o feet in diameter and very flat on the top ; at the time 58 AKDEID^ ARDEA the male was on the nest, which contained three fresh eggs. Mr. Austen Eoberts, of Potchefstroom, has recently sent a clutch of three eggs of this Heron to the South x\frican Museum ; these were taken at Kromdraai, on the Vaal Kiver, near Potchefstroom, on October 3rd. In this case the nest, a photograph of which is here reproduced (Fig. 17), was built on the branch of a tall thorn tree overhanging the river about fifty feet above the ground, and was flat and composed of sticks throughout. The eggs, which are oval and nearly equally rounded at both ends, are pale blue, without any markings, and measure 2-80 X 20. ( Q^ 586. Ardea cinerea. Grey Heron. Ardea cinerea, Linn., Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 236 (1766) ; GriU, K. Vet. Alad. HaiidJ. ii, no. 10, p. 55 (1858) ; Girrney, Ibis, 1859, p. 248, 1860, p. 205 [Natal] ; Layarcl, B. 8. Afr. p. 806 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 376; Gurney,in Andersson's B. Dainaral. p. 284(1872); Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 86 ; Dresser, B. Eur., vi, p. 207, pi. 395 (1875) ; Aijres, Ibis, 1877, p. 349 ; Holub ^'• Pelz., Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 261 (1882) ; Butler, Feilden ^^ Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 343 ; Sharpe, ed. LayarWs B. 8. Afr. p. 708 (1884) ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 335 ; Fleck, Journ. Ornitli. 1894, p. 387 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 74 (1898) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 195 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, .266; Beiclieriow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 379 (1901); Sharpe, Ibis^ 1904, p. 17 [DeelfonteinJ ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. Description. Adult male. — Crown and forehead, face and neck all round, including the drooping plumes at the base of the neck, white ; a broad black patch from behind the eye meets its fellow on the other side and separates the crown from the face ; this patch ends in a nape crest and has two much elongated nuchal plumes ; along the front of the neck for its lower two-thirds is a double series of elongate black patches ; general colour above pale pearly-slate, becoming almost white on the decomposed and elongated scapulars, and also on the wing-coverts ; wing-quills and primary coverts dark slate ; edge of the wing white ; tail like the back ; on each side of the breast a patch of drooping purplish black feathers, con- tinued back to about the vent, centre of the breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts and thighs white ; sides of the body, axillaries and under wing-coverts pearly-slate. ARDEID.F. ARDRA 59 Iris yellow ; naked skin round the eye yellowish ; bill yellow with a greenish tinge ; legs and feet greenish-yellow. Length (in the flesh) 40-5 ; wing 18 ; tail 65 ; culmen 45 ; tarsus 6-25 ; middle toe 4-0. The female is nearly similar, but, as a rule, the crest feathers are not so long, though this is hardly the case in a breeding female recently acquired by the South African Museum. The young bird is darker and the colours are not so well defined, the crown and the back of the neck are slaty and the black band surrounding the crown is hardly defined ; the decomposed plumes are absent from the fore-neck and scapulars, and the black patch on each side of the crop hardly developed. Distribution. — The Grey Heron is a widely-spread and common bird throughout the greater part of its range, which is very exten- sive, including the whole of the Old World up to about 60° N. Lat. ; it is to be met with in most parts of Africa, including Madagascar ; Avhile within our limits it is common .nearly everywhere, and appears to be generally a resident throughout the year. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division, very common (W. L. Sclater), Knysna, June (Peddie), Port St. John's, January, Hanover, breeding September (S. A. Mus.), Deelfontein (Seimund), Berg Eiver, breeding September (Kotze), Fairfield in Caledon, breeding (A. van der Byl), Malopo Valley near Mafeking (Holub) ; Natal — Durban Harbour (Gordge), Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons), Newcastle (Butler) ; Orange River Colony— Vredefort Road (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — near Potchef- stroom, breeding September (Roberts), Limpopo Valley (Buckley) ; Rhodesia — SaUsbury district (Marshall); German South-west Africa — along the coast to Walvisch Bay and Ondonga (Andersson), Nocana, July, Doornfontein, March Aris, January, and Kalahari, April (Fleck.) Habits. — The Grey Heron in South Africa is generally to be seen singly, or perhaps a pair together standing motionless for hours in some shallow vlei waiting and watching for an opportunity of securing a fish or some other dainty morsel ; if disturbed it rises with slowly flapping wings, the neck drawn back in S shape and the legs trailing behind, and leisurely makes its way to some more retired spot. Though generally reputed to be shy, the Grey Heron can hardly be said to be so on the Cape Flats, where it is often to be seen in the early morning. The food consists chiefly of fishes, but it also devours frogs, lizards, an occasional snake. 60 ARDEID^ ARDEA as well as insects and sometimes even small mammals. Its cvy is a harsh " kronk." Contrary to its usual habits in Europe, it nests in South Africa as a rule on the ground in reed beds, and not in trees; the nest itself is made of reeds, and sometimes there are a number of pairs all nesting in the same place. Layard received eggs from the Berg Eiver, where Mr. Kotze found them in September, and also from Fairfield, in the Caledon district, from Miss A. van der Byl. Dr. Stark found two nests in February on a little island, chiefly tenanted by Duikers, just outside the Knysna heads ; they contained young birds nearly full grown. The eggs are usually three or four in number, and are, like other herons' eggs, pale blue in colour, and nearly equally rounded at both ends ; they measure about 2-25 x 1*75. Mr. Eoberts, of Potchefstroom, tells me that he found a nest of this bird in a tree on the banks of the Vaal Eiver on September 5th ; it contained two fresh eggs. The tree was the same as that in which the Goliath's nest was found. tCfC) 587. Ardea melanocephala. Black-headed Heron. Ardea melanocephala, Vig. d Childr., in Denli. and, ClapiJ. Voy. p. 201 (1826) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 284 (1872) ; Oates, Mataheleland, p. 326 (1881) ; Butler, Feilden, and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 343 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr., p. 709 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 293 ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 62 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 70 (1898) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 380 (1901) ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs ii, p. 113 (1902) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 17 [Deelfontein] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. Ardea atricollis, Wagl., Syst. Av. Ardea, sp. 4 (1827) ; Smith, III. Zool. S. A. Aves, pi. 86 (1843) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 220 [NatalJ ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 332 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 306 (1867) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 193; Holitb ^^ Peheln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 271 (1882). Description. Adult male. — Crown of the head, including the ear-coverts, back of the neck, and, in the middle of its length, the sides of the neck, black; nape feathers elongated and forming a crest ; general colour of the body above blackish- slate ; paler on the decomposed and elongated scapulars, and on the wing-coverts, which are pearly-grey with white inner margins ; tail-feathers, wing- quills and primary coverts black, the latter with some white on the basal halves of the inner webs ; sides of the face below the eye and ear-coverts, chin and throat white ; middle third of the neck black, ARDEID^ ARDEA 61 mottled with white in front ; edge of the wing white ; lower third of the neck slaty-grey with decomposed and elongated plumes ; the rest of the lower surface slaty grey, becoming a good deal paler on the under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white. Iris yellow^ ; bare skin round the eye at the base of the bill whitish- buJEf; bill slaty-brown, paler on the lower mandible; legs and feet black. Length (in flesh) 38 ; wing 155; tail 60; culmen 4-8; tarsus 5-25; middle toe 3-40. The female resembles the male, but the ornamental plumes are less developed. The young bird is less strongly coloured ; the crown and hind neck are slaty-grey ; the throat and front of the neck, and the whole of the under parts are white, slightly tinged here and there with pale rufous. Fig. 18. — Head of Ardea vielanoceijhala. Distribution. — The Black-headed Heron is found throughout the greater part of x\frica from Bornu, near Lake Chad, whence it was first brought home by Denham and Clapperton, and from Abyssinia southwards ; it also occurs in Madagascar, and is a straggler into North Africa and Southern Europe. In South Africa it is found wherever conditions are favourable, and is probably just as abundant as the Grey Heron, but, owing to its resemblance to it, it often escapes notice. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division (Layard and S. A. Mus.), Berg Eiver, breeding (Layard), Deelfontein (Seimund), Middelburg division (S. A. Mus.), Colesberg (Layard), and Port St. John's March, October (Shortridge) ; Natal — near Durban (Ayres), Ingagane Eiver near Newcastle, June (Feilden) ; Orange Eiver 62 ARDEID^ ARDEA Colony — Vredefort Road (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, July (Ayres), near Pretoria, June (Gates), Unigoopie River in Zout- spansberg, May (W. Ayres) ; Rhodesia — Pandamatenka (Holub) ; German South-west Africa — Gt. Namaqualand, Damaraland, and Ondonga, November (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Zambesi (Kirk and Alexander). Habits. — This Heron does not differ from other species of the same genus in its habits. It is generally to be found along rivers, or in marshy ground, though said to be occasionally seen in dry pastures ; its food consists chiefly of fishes, but it will also devour snakes, lizards, small mammals and insects ; as a rule it goes solitary or in pairs, and retires at night to roost in high trees. On the Berg River it is stated by Layard to nest among the reeds ; but more frequently it chooses a high tree for this purpose, as stated by Smith and Mr. W. Ayres. Major Sparrow tells me that he found a nest on October 2nd, placed in a tree growing out of a cliff close to the Incandu waterfall near Newcastle in Natal. The eggs, which are usually three in number, are like those of other Herons, pale blue, and nearly equally rounded at both ends ; they measure about 2-5 x 1*75. \jc^-n 588. Ardea purpurea. Purple Heron. Ardea purpurea, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 236 (1766) ; Gurneij, Ibis, 1860, p. 220 [Natal]; KirA; Ibis, 1864, p. 332; Layard B. S. Afr., p. 306 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 468 [Transvaal] ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 302 ; Layard, ibid, p. 376 ; Gurney, in Andersson'' s B. Daynaral. p. 286 (1872) : Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 217, pi. 396 (1875) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210 ; Hohib Sr Felzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 271 (1882) ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 344 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 710 (1884) ; Aijres, Ibis, 1886, p. 294 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Wood- tvard Bros., Natal B. p. 196 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 377 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 574, 580 ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. Phoyx purpurea, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 60 (1898). Pyrrherodias purpurea, Gates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. Ill (1902). Description. Adult m^Ze.— Crown black, the feathers on the occiput elongated, with two long plumes extending a good way beyond the others ; a black band down the back of the neck, and two other black bands on each side, the rest of the neck being rufous ; a rufous band through the eye bordered below by a black AEDEID^ AKDEA 63 band, the chin and throat being white ; general colour of the bod^ slaty, many of the feathers of the scapulars elongated and tinged with rufous ; primaries and their coverts very dark slate, almost black, edge of the wing pale rufous ; feathers of the lower neck and upper breast very pale rufous, strongly striped with black ; lower breast dark maroon, becoming almost black on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; thighs pale rufous ; sides of the body, axillaries and quills below slaty ; under wing coverts rich rufous. Iris yellow ; upper mandible brown, yellowish at the base ; lower mandible brownish horn, yellow towards the tip ; legs dark brown in front, chrome yellow behind. Length about 35 ; wing 14-5; tail 5*5; tarsus 4*6; middle toe 4-9 ; culmen 4-9. The female resembles the male but is not so brightly coloured; the nuchal plumes' also are not so long or so well developed. Young birds have the crown maroon and only the forehead slaty black ; there are no distinct lines of black on the neck, only a slight mottling of that colour ; there is a good deal of sandy-buff on the back, the lower throat and fore neck are less distinctly marked with black, and the rest of the lower surface is buffy-white streaked with dusky ; bill yellow, blackish along the culmen ; tarsi and feet greenish-yellow. Distribution. — The Purple Heron has a wide distribution throughout central and southern Europe, from France to Turkestan and Persia, east of which it is replaced by a closely allied species. To the south the European bird is found throughout the whole of Africa, including Madagascar. Within our limits the Purple Heron seems fairly plentiful everywhere, where suitable conditions exist, though perhaps it is not so abundant in Natal and the eastern half of the Colony as in the west. It breeds in South Africa, and is, I believe, a resident. The following are the chief recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape div. December (W. L. Sclater), Berg Eiver, breeding September (Layard), Orange Eiver (Bradshaw), Worcester, November (S. A. Mus.), Port Elizabeth, fairly common (Brown), King Wilham's Town, rare (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, not common (Shortridge) ; Natal — Durban Bay (Woodward), Upper Buffalo Eiver (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Vredefort Eoad (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, June, August (Ayres), near Johannesburg, common (Haagner) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Holub), near Sahsbury (Marshall) ; Portuguese East Africa — Chicowa, September (Alexander) and Tete (Kirk) on the Zambesi. 64 ARDEID^ HERODIAS Habits. — The Purple Heron is a shy and skulking bird ; it is found in marshy places and along the banks of streams, and is somewhat crepuscular in its habits ; with others of its kind it resorts to a jQxed place of abode at night, making daily excursions in search of food ; this consists chiefly of small fishes, but it also devours lizards, frogs and aquatic insects, as well as mice and rats. The Purple Heron has been observed breeding on the Zambesi, by Kirk, in February, near Potchefstroom, by Ayres, and on the Berg Eiver, by Mr. Kotze, in September ; the nest is placed as a rule in a secluded reedy swamp, and is often difficult of access. Several nests are generally found together, they are roughly formed, large structures of sticks and rushes, and usually built up on a number of reeds bent down to form a support ; they are often two or three feet in diameter, and have a very slight concavity. The eggs, which are two to three in number,, are almost perfect ovals; they are pale blue in colour, and measure, on an average 2-2 x 1*6. Genus II. HERODIAS. Type. Herodias, Bote, Isis, 1822, p. 559 H. egretta. Closely resembling Ardea in structure, but with a slenderer bill and neck, and of smaller size ; plumage pure white throughout, with, in the breeding season, a dorsal train of elongated and decom- posed plumes reaching beyond the tail ; these feathers consist of the main shaft, with the rami or barbs set along it some distance apart, and with no traces of the barbules connecting the barbs, so that the latter are quite free from one another. Some eight or nine species of nearly world-wide distribution are usually included in this genus. Three of these are found in South Africa. Key of the Species. A. Larger, wing about 14; head only slightly crested, no decomposed feathers on the lower neck H. alba, p. 65. B. Smaller, wing about 12. a. Bill yellow ; head only slightly crested ; ornamental decomposed plumes on the breast in the breeding season H. brachyrhyncha, p. 66. ARDEID^ HERODIAS 65 b. Bill black ; a pair of elongate narrow plumes on the nape ; ornamental decomposed ^ ^ — plumes on the breast in the breeding season H. garzetta, ^. 68. ^^'^^^ 589. Herodias alba. Great White Egret. Ardea alba, Linn. Sijst. Nat. 12th ed{ i, p. 239 (1766) ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 390; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 231, pi. 398 (1880); Hohib d Pelzeln, Orn. Sud-Afr. p. 273 (1882). Herodias alba, Gurney in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 289 (1872) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 714 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1885, p. 349 ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 335 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 90 (1898) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 194 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 270 ; Alexander, ibid. p. 439 ; Beichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 388 (1901) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237. Description. Adult Female in breeding dress. — Plumage pure white throughout ; head slightly crested ; scapulars produced and forming elongated decomposed plumes extending beyond the tail ; feathers on the fore-neck and sides of the breast also fully developed and forming a kind of shield over the latter, but not decomposed. Iris pale yellow ; bill chronae yellow, blackish towards the tip and along the commissure ; bare skin in front of the eye greenish ; legs and feet black throughout. Length (in flesh) 38 ; wing 14*0 ; tail 6*2 ; culmen 4*25 ; tarsus 5-7 ; middle toe 4-10. The adult in non-breeding dress loses the ornamental plumes, and the bill is entirely yellow ; the young birds are also without plumes, and have a softer and more downy plumage. In European and Asiatic examples of this bird the bill is quite black in the breeding season, and yellow at other times ; but in Africa the bill appears never to become quite black ; the dimensions also vary very remarkably among individuals of this species ; those given above (of a female from Potchefstroom) are small as com- pared with the average stated in the British Museum Catalogue, where a very large male specimen from India is noticed which had a tarsus measuring 8*25 inches, whilst the smallest, a female, also from India, had one of only 5*25 inches. Distribution. — The Great White Egret is found throughout Southern and South-eastern Europe, and Southern Asia as far as Burma and Ceylon, and is a straggler to Northern Europe and Great Britain ; it is also found throughout Africa and Madagascar. 0 VOL. IV. 66 ARDEID^ HERODIAS Within our limits this fine Egret seems everywhere a scarce bird ; it has only once been recorded from Cape Colony, but is more often met with further north, as the following list of localities shows: Cape Colony— Great Fish Eiver (Albany Mus.), Orange Eiver, near Aliwal North, once seen (Whitehead); Natal — near Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons), Lower Umkomas and Lower Umfolosi Eiver, in Zululand (Woodward) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Kroonstad, March, scarce (Symonds) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, scarce, January, September (Ayres), Lichtenburg district (Holub), Lim- popo Eiver (Buckley); Ehodesia - Matopos (S. A. Mus.), Lower Gurbi Eiver (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa (Andersson) ; Zambesi Eiver (Alexander), Habits. — This handsome bird appears to resemble other Egrets in its habits, haunting reedy pools and swamps, and feeding on fishes, frogs and other aquatic animals. It is a rare bird, very shy and wary, and usually solitary. It is not known to breed in South Africa, but in its more fre- quented haunts it nests in societies, sometimes making use of a tree for this purpose, while at other times the nest is placed low down amongst dense reeds. The eggs, usually four in number, are pale blue like those of other Herons. 590. Herodias brachyrhyncha. Yellow -billed Egret. Egretta flavirostris, {nee Temm.) BiJ. ConsjJ. Av. ii, p. 116 (1855). Herodias bracliyrhynchos, Brelun, Journ. Ornith. 1858, p. 471 ; Shelley, B. Afr. 1, p. 157 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 193 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 389 (1901). Herodias flavirostris, Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 249, 1860, p. 205. Ardea egretta, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 308 (1867) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210. Herodias intermedia {nee Wagler), Gurney, in Andersson' s B. Damaral. p. 289 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis', 1877, p. 349 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 868 [Spaldings] ; Sharpe, ed. Bayard's B. S. Afr. p. 714 (1884) ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 335 ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 387. Mesophoyx brachyrhyncha, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 87 (1898). " Intarga " of the Matabele (Ayres). Description. Adult Male. — Plumage pure white throughout ; head slightly crested but with no ornamental plumes ; dependent ornamental plumes consisting of feathers with the webs entirely broken up, developed on the foreneck and on the scapular region, the former 5 to 6 inches, the latter 12 to 13 inches in average specimens, and projecting considerably beyond the end of the tail. AKDEID^ HERODIAS 67 Iris pale yellow ; skin round the eyes and both mandibles yellow ; tarsus and feet black ; bare part of the tibia yellow, contrasting with the tarsus. Length about 25-0; wing 12-0; tail 4-9; culmen 2-75; tarsus 4-25 ; middle toe 3-8. The female resembles the male, but the ornamental plumes are much less developed. In the young bird there are no ornamental plumes at all. Distrihiition. — The Yellow-billed Egret is met with throughout the eastern part of Africa from Kordofan and the Upper Nile Valley southwards through East Africa and Nyasaland to Cape Colony. Other very closely allied species are found in Southern Asia and Australia. This Egret, though nowhere very abundant, seems to be generally distributed throughout South Africa wherever suitable conditions occur. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Zeekoe vlei in Cape division, and Svvellendam, March and June (S. A. Mus.), Knysna, breeding (Atmore), Upington on the Orange River, scarce (Bradshaw), Spaldings in Barkly West division, February (Ayres) ; Natal — Coast and up-country swamps (Woodward) ; Orange River Colony — Kroonstad, scarce (Symonds) ; Transvaal— Pretoria and Potchefstroom (Barratt) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson), Nocana, July, rare (Fleck) ; Rhodesia — Upper Zambesi (Bradshaw), Salisbury district (Marshall), near Zumbo (Stoehr) ; German South- west Africa — Otjimbinque (Andersson). Habits. — The Yellow-billed Egret is gregarious, and frequents the bays along the coast and the mud flats at the mouths of rivers as well as inland waters ; it wades in the shallow water and searches among the mud and weeds for small fishes and other animals. " When they see their prey," writes Ayres, " they stop suddenly, and make a dead point at it, exactly like a pointer dog at a partridge, remaining motionless for a few seconds, then, gradually drawing nearer, they dart their long necks into the water, and almost in- variably catch the unlucky fish. At high water, or if disturbed, and at night, they always perch on the upper boughs of the man- groves and other trees that fringe the bay, never roosting on the ground." Mr. Atmore informed Mr. Layard that this species bred on a little islet in the sea near the Knysna Heads, but that when he visited the place (in December) it was too late for eggs. This is the only information available in regard to the nesting of this species. 68 ARDEID^ HBRODIAS The decomposed nuptial plumes of this and other species of White Egrets have always been much sought after as ornaments, not only among the semi-barbarous nations of the east but also in Europe, where the fashion of wearing *' ospreys" as they are called in the plume-trade, has of late years assumed alarming proportions and has been the cause of great destruction to these beautiful and graceful birds, especially during the breeding season, just before which the ornamental plumes are assumed. So far as I am aware, the export of feathers and plumes from South Africa is not very great, but from India and from America the trade is considerable, so that many protests have been made against it by naturalists and others. ■ TX , e?(^ V' 591. Herodias garzetta. Little Egret. Ardea garzetta, Linn. Sijst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 237 (1766) ; Grill, K. Vet. AJcad. Handl. StocJch. ii, no. 10, p. 55 (1858) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 308 (1867); Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210; Dresser B. Eur. vi, p. 239, pi. 399 (1880). Herodias garzetta, Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 221, 1868, p. 468 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 290 (1872) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 86 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 104, 1877, p. 349, 1880, p. 269 ; Butler, Feilden Sr Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 344 ; Sliariw, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 716 (1884) ; Flech, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 387 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 194 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Alexander, ibid. p. 440 ; Reichenow, Voy. Afr. i, p. 387 (1901) ; Hellmaijr, Journ. Ornith. 1902 p. 235 [Zwartkop] . Garzetta garzetta, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 118 (1898). Description. Adult Male in Breeding Plumage. — Plumage white throughout ; a pair of elongated narrow plumes depending from the nape reaching a length of nearly 6 inches ; a bunch of similar but shorter plumes and decomposed feathers at the base of the foreneck ; dorsal plumes elongated and decomposed reaching a little beyond the tail and slightly re -curved at their tips. Iris pale yellow, skin at the base of the bill whitish fulvescent : bill black, shanks and tarsus black ; feet greenish-yellow, joints darker. Length about 27 ; wing 12-0; tail 4-0 ; culmen 3-55 ; tarsus 4-40; middle toe 3-12. The female resembles the male, but the ornamental plumes are as a rule not so well developed; both sexes in the non-breeding ARDEID^ HERODIAS 69 dress as also the young birds resemble the breeding male, but_a^ without the ornamental plumes. Distribution. — The Little Egret is spread over Southern Europe and Asia from Spain to Japan, the Philippines and the Malay Peninsula ; it also occurs all over Africa and Madagascar in suitable localities. Within our limits this Egret appears to be fairly common and widely spread in favourable situations throughout all the Colonies and Territories, and to be in most districts a resident. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division, November, December, Stellenbosch, Caledon, August, Tulbagh, October (S. A. Mus.), Berg Eiver, breeding (Layard), Knysna, Fig. 19. — Head of Herodias garzetta. x October (Victorin), Port Elizabeth, common (Brown), .King Williams Town, scarce (Trevelyan), Orange Eiver, common (Brad- shaw) ; Natal — Durban harbour (Ayres), Newcastle district (Butler); Transvaal — Potchefstroom, January, June (Ayres and Barratt) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami, common (Andersson) ; Khodesia — rare (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa— scarce (Andersson), Okavango Eiver, July (Fleck) ; Zambesi Eiver, common (Alexander). Habits. — This Egret like others of its kind, is usually met with in small flocks about the mouths of rivers near the sea and inland in vleis and marshy places, where it obtains its food, consisting of fishes, frogs, and small Crustacea. Layard found the stomachs of two 70 ARDEID^ MELANOPHOYX obtained by him, crammed with the shells of small aquatic mollusca {Succinea delalandi and Physopsis africana). Butler and Reid fouud a small colony of this Egret apparently breeding in the Newcastle district in October, but could discover no nests ; Layard was more fortunate, and obtained eggs from the Berg River, where this Egret breeds freely ; the clutch consists of three or four eggs ; these resemble those of other Herons in being very pale blue and unspotted ; they are oval in shape, almost equally rounded at both ends, and measure 2-10 x 1-55. Genus III. MELANOPHOYX. Type. Melanophoyx, Sharpe, Bull. B. 0.- C. iii, p. 38 (1894) M. ardesiaca. Bill long and slender, about as long as the middle toe and claw, but distinctly shorter than the tarsus ; mandible with a distinct subterminal notch but not serrated ; wings long and strong, the second or third primary the longest ; the bare portion of the tibio- tarsus occupying about half the length of the bone, and about equal to the inner toe and claw ; tail of twelve feathers, nearly even and rather short ; plumage slaty-black, with narrow elongate, lanceolate, ornamental plumes on the head, foreneck and back, not much decomposed, those of the back not extending beyond the tail. This genus, containing two closely allied species, both of which are found within our limits, is confined to tropical and South Africa. Key of the Species. A. Throat and under surface entirely slaty black... M. ardesiaca, p. 70. B. Upper throat vinous rufous, under parts slaty grey or slightly washed with vinous M. vinaceigida, p. 72. ^^ ^ 692. Melanophoyx ardesiaca. Black Heron. Ardea ardesiaca, WagL, Syst. Av. Ardea, p. 189 (1827) ; Finsch £ Hartl. Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 682 (1870) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 264, 1878, p. 299, 1880, p. 269 ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210 ; Milne-Edw. d Grandid., Hist. Nat. Madag. Ois. p. 547, pi. 225 (1881) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 712 (1884) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Woodtvard Bros., Natal B. p. 195 (^1899). ARDEID^ MELANOPHOYX 71 Ardea calceolata, Du Bus, Bull. Acad. Brux. iv, p. 40, pi. 2 (1838)j Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 307 (1867). Ardea flavimana, Sundev., Oefv. K. Vet. Ahad. Forh. StocTiU. 1850, p. Ill [Mooi Eiver, Potchefstroom] ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 307 (1867). Melanophoyx ardesiaca, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 104 (1898) ; Beichenoiu, Vog, Afr. i, p. 373 (1901). Description. Adult. — General colour above and below black with a slight slaty tinge, especially on the long ornamental feathers of the back and scapulars, and on the tips of the primaries ; the ornamental feathers are narrow and lanceolate but not decomposed ; they are developed on the hinder part of the crown and along the hind neck and also at the base of the foreneck as well as on the scapulars. Iris bright yellow ; bill black ; legs black ; toes yellow. Length 17; wing 10-5; tail 3-25; culmen 2-75; tarsus 3-6; middle toe 2-8. The young bird is like the adult but has no development of ornamental plumes. Distribution. — The Black Heron is spread over the greater part of tropical Africa and Madagascar from Senegal and the White Nile to Angola and Nyasaland. It is very rare south of the Zambesi and has only been recorded from two localities, the neighbourhood of Potchefstroom, where it was first obtained by Wahlberg, subse- quently by Ayres on three occasions, and again by Barratt, and at Durban Harbour, where it has been shot by Gordge, according to the Woodwards. Habits. — Ayres, who obtained examples of the Black Heron in the swamps near Potchefstroom, has made the following remark- able observation. " This beautiful Heron has a curious habit whilst feeding during the heat of the day and when the sun shines blazing hot, of throwing one wing suddenly forward and holding it out so that it shades a small portion of shallow water; the bird immediately peers into the water searchingly and invariably makes a dart at some unlucky little fish." Nothing is known about the nesting habits of this bird, but there are three eggs of it from the Gambia in the collection of the British Museum ; they are elongated, with both ends rather pointed, and measure about 1-8 x 1*3. 72 ARDEID^ BUBULCUS 593. Melanophoyx vinaceigula. Bed-throated Heron. Ardea ardesiaca {nee Wagl.) Gurney, Ibis, 1871, p. 264 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 712 (1884). Melanophoyx vinaceigula, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 105, pi. lA (1898) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 374 (1901). Description. Adult. — Similar to M. ardesiaca^ but having the throat vmous-red ; tarsi and feet greenish-grey. Length 16-5 ; wing 9-0; tail 3-65; culmen 2-25 ; tarsus 3-0. There are two examples of this species in the British Museum, where they were formerly considered to be the young of M. ardesiaca- This does not appear to be the case, however, as there is a young bird of the latter species also in the collection which has a black throat and yellow toes, as in the adult. Distribution. — Only known from the Potchefstroom district of the Transvaal, whence there are two examples in the British Museum, both obtained by Mr. T. Ayres. Genus IV. BUBULCUS. Type. Bubulcus, Bp. Ann. Sci. Nat. (4) i, p. 141 (1854) B. ibis. Bill slender and rather short, considerably shorter than the tarsus, which again is about equal to the middle toe and claw : mandibles serrated along their edges ; wing long and strong, the first three primaries about equal and longest ; tail moderate, rounded and composed of twelve feathers ; bare portion of the tibio-tarsus occupying about the lower third of that limb and less in extent than the length of the inner toe and claw ; plumage white through- out except the decomposed nuptial plumes on the head, foreneck, and back. • This genus, containing two closely allied species, has a wide range over Central and Southern Europe and Asia, from Spain to the Moluccas, and throughout Africa and Madagascar. Only one species is found in Africa. 5- ^ ^^^ 594. Bubulcus ibis. Cattle Egret. ■ Ardea ibis, Linn., Syst. Nat. 10th ed. i, p. 144 (1758). Ardea lucida, Bafin., Carattej'i, p. 3 (1810). Ardea bubulcus, Audouin, Expl. somm. PI. Ois. de VEgypte, p. 391, pi. 8. fig. 1 (1823) ; Delagorgue, Voyage i, p. 334 (1847) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1863, p. 330, 1868, pp. 256, 468 [Natal and Transvaal] ; Layard ARDEID^ BUBULCUS 73 B. S. Afr. p. 307 (1867) ; Barratf, Ibis, 1876, pp. 193, 211 ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 245, pi. 400, fig. 1 (1879) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1880, p.-a70r 1884, p. 233 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 [Spaldings] ; Holub Sf Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-A.fr. p. 275 (1882). Herodias bubulcus, Kirh, Ibis, 1864, p. 333 ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 265. ■ Bubulcus ibis, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 288 (1872) ; Oates, Mataheleland, p. 327 (1881) ; Sharpe, ed. Bayard's B. S. Afr. p. 717 (1884) ; FlecTi, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 387 ; Beichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 381 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, p. 574. Ardeola bubulcus, Butler, Feilden Sf Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 344. Herodias lucidus, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 157 (1896) ; Hellmayr, Journ- Ornith. 1902, p. 235 [Nata River] . Bubulcus lucidus, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, pp. 213, 282 (1898). Herodias ralloides {nee Scop.), Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 193 (1899). " Buff-backed Egret " of many authors, " Tick bird " of some Colonists, " Mafudsangombo " {i.e., Cattle Herd) of Mashonas (Marshall). Description. Adult Male in Breeding Dress. — Plumage white throughout except for the masses of decomposed elongated orna- mental plumes, covering the head and nape, the foreneck and those springing from the centre of the back, all of which are a beautiful vinous pink. Iris yellow ; skin round the eye chrome yellow ; bill pinkish- yellow ; legs dull yellowish-brown. Length (in flesh) 21 ; wing 100; tail 3-75; culmen 2-4 ; tarsus 3-4 ; middle toe and claw 3-4. The female is like the male, but has the dorsal plumes less developed ; in non-breeding plumage the ornamental plumes are absent, but there is a slight wash of vinous on the crown and fore- neck ; young birds are very similar to the adults in non-breeding dress. Distribution. — The Cattle Egret is found along the shores of the Mediterranean from Spain, where it breeds, to the Caspian ; beyond this it is replaced by a closely allied species ; it is also found throughout ijhe whole of Africa, including Madagascar. Within our limits this Egret seems to be fairly common except in the western half of Cape Colony, where it has, so far as I am aware, been only once noticed. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Wynberg, May, 1867 (Layard), Colesberg (Arnot), Spaldings in Barkly West, February (Ayres), Grahamstown (Layard), Port Elizabeth, common (Brown), Port St. John's (Short- ridge) ; Natal — Durban Harbour (Woodward), Umlazi Eiver mouth (Ayres), Newcastle (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Vredefort Road 74 ARDEIDiE BUBULCUS (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, February, March, July, November (Ayres), near Johannesburg, rare (Haagner), Lydenburg and Pretoria (Barratt), Klerksdorp district (Holub) ; Bechuanaland — Kanye (Exton), Tati, September (Gates) ; Ehodesia— Nata Eiver (Penther), Upper Zambesi (Holub), Salisbury (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — Gndonga (Andersson), Boliva, June, Eehebcth January (Fleck). Habits. — This Egret is essentially a gregarious bird, being found iu flocks of from ten to fifty individuals. They are usually seen in company with herds of cattle. They stalk about underneath the oxen, sometimes jumping up to take a tick off their bellies, and Fig. 20.— Head of Buhulctis ibis. sometimes perching on their backs for the same purpose ; besides ticks they obtain a good number of grasshoppers, beetles and other insects, disturbed by the beasts. In the wilder parts of the country they associate with buffaloes and elephants in the same w^ay, and their very conspicuous white plumage is often of assistance to the hunter in locating his game. In the evening this Egret resorts in large companies to the branches of small trees overhanging water, where they roost, the same spot being constantly used for this purpose. Mr. Harold Fry, of Johannesburg, found a nesting place of the Cattle Egret oq an island in the Vaal river near Parys, in the Grange Eiver Colony, on November 17. There were about thirty pairs occupying a large tree on the island, together with Goliath, AEDEIDiE ARDEOLA 75 Grey and Purple Herons and Snake-birds. The nests were slight structures built of sticks, and each contained from three to five eggs. They occupied the middle portion of the tree, the larger Herons being at the top and the Snake-birds among the thicker branches below. A single egg sent to the South African Museum by 'Mr. Fry is of the usual pale greenish-blue colour and almost a regular oval in shape. It measures 1-8 x 1*3. Genus V. ARDEOLA. Type. Ardeola, 5oze, Ms, 1822, p. 559 A. ralloides. Bill long and slender, culmen about equal to the middle toe and claw in length ; the upper mandible with a groove on either side, at the base of which is the nostril ; the mandibles serrated at their tips ; wings rather short and rounded ; tail of twelve feathers, short and nearly square ; only the lower fourth of the tibio-tarsus bare, this portion less than the inner toe and claw ; tarsus short, less than the bill and less than the middle toe and claw ; feathers of the head and neck elongate in the breeding plumage, those of the fore-neck and back decomposed as well ; plumage chiefly white and buff'. Some four or five species of this genus are usually recognised ; they are distributed over the temperate and tropical portions of Europe, Africa and Asia, extending as far as the Moluccas, and including Madagascar. Only one species is found in South Africa. o^u '^ 595. Ardeola ralloides. Squacco Heron. Ardea ralloides, Scoj). Ann. i, p. 88 (1769) ; Dresser, B. Eur. vi, p. 251, pi. 400, fig. 2 (1879). Ardea comata. Fall. Beis. Buss. Beichs, ii, p. 715 (1773) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 308 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 283 ; Holah d Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 274 (1882). Buphus comatus, Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 221, 1862, p. 157 ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 333. Ardeola comata, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 288 (1872) BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1877, p. 349, 1878, p. 300, 1880, p. Ill ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 718 (1884). Ardea leucoptera {nee Bodd.) Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 210. Herodias ralloides, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 156 (1896) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 439. Ardeola ralloides. Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 388 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, pp. 202, 281 (1898) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 374 (1901) 76 ABDEID^ ARDEOLA Description. Adult Male in breeding season. — Head and neck all round, including the plumes at the side of the chest, pale buffy- yellow, strongly striped with blackish-brown ; a well-developed nuchal crest of narrow pointed feathers, white, bordered on either side by blackish-brown, the tips white ; mantle vinous-red, scapulars brownish - buff, both breaking up into ornamental decomposed plumes; 'rump, upper tail-coverts, tail and wings white, the coverts of the latter washed here and there with buff, and some of the inner secondaries like the scapulars ; below, except for the middle and lower part of the neck and upper breast, white throughout. Iris pale yellow ; bare skin round the eye pale yellow ; upper mandible dusky greenish-yellow along the commissure near the base ; lower mandible greenish-yellow; legs and feet greenish- yellow, a little darker on the toes. Length (in flesh) 17 to 18; wing 8-75; tail 3-4; culmen 2-5; tarsus 2-25 ; middle toe 2*5. The female is generally slightly smaller (wing 7*75), the nuchal crest and dorsal trains are also less developed. The adult in winter plumage has no long nape plumes, the crest feathers are shorter and the back loses its vinous colour and is brown like the scapulars. Young birds can be distinguished by the black shafts of the outer primaries, while the outer webs and tips are slightly washed with brown ; the vinous colour of the centre of the back is replaced by a buffish-brown like that of the scapulars. Distrihttion. — The Squacco is a summer visitor in the South of Europe, ranging from Spain to the Caspian Sea ; it occasionally reaches the British Islands as a straggler. Throughout Africa (including Madagascar) it is a resident. In South Africa the Squacco is fairly abundant where suitable conditions exist, but it does not appear to have been met with in the central and western districts of Cape Colony. Though it is apparently a resident, its nesting habits (in South Africa) have not been described. The following are localities : Cape Colony — near Upington, December (Bradshaw), Colesberg, in winter (Arnot), Grahamstown (Albany Museum), near King Williams Town, rare (Trevelyan) ; Basutoland — summer (Bowker) ; Natal — rare (Ayres) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, January, August, October, November (Ayres), Limpopo Kiver (Holub) ; Bechuanaland — Bamangwato, August (Buckley), Lake Ngami district (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Holub) ; German South-west Africa — common throughout ARDEID^ ERYTHROCNUS 77 the year (Andersson), Nocana, July (Fleck) ; Portuguese East Africa — Tete (Kirk), Zumbo, October (Alexander). ^ Habits. — Like other Herons the Squacco is found about swamps and sluggish rivers ; it is usually seen singly or in pairs, seldom in large parties. It is an inactive bird, spending the greater part of its time in one position, with its head drawn in between its shoulders like a Bittern. Its food consists chiefly of aquatic animals, such as frogs and water-insects, but grasshoppers, beetles and small crabs were found in the stomachs of individuals examined by Ayres. There can be little doubt that this species nests in South Africa, but no observations on this point have been hitherto recorded. In Europe it builds in colonies in company with other members of the family ; the nest is composed of sticks, and placed in low trees or bushes in flooded marshes ; the eggs, of the usual greenish- blue colour, are from four to six in number, and measure about 1-5 X 1-1. Genus VI. ERYTHROCNUS. Type. Erythrocnus, Sharpe, Bull. B. 0. C. iii, p. 39 (1894) E. rufiventris. Bill moderate, the culmen hardly longer than the tarsus, and slightly shorter than the middle toe and claw; the tips of both mandibles serrated, wings rather short and rounded, the second and third primaries the longest ; only the last half-inch of the tarsus bare of feathers ; tail short, of twelve feathers ; plumage slaty and rufous, with no elongated ornamental plumes or dorsal train, but with a rather full neck frill and elongated scapulars overhanging the wings. The single species here described, confined to South Africa, is the only one referred to this genus. 596. Erythrocnus rufiYentris. Eufous-Bellied Heron. A.rdea rufiventris, Sundev. Oefv. K. Vet. AJcad. Fork. Stockh. 1850, p. 110; Layard, Ibis, 1871, p. 105; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 265, pi. ix, 1880, p. 269, 1886, p. 294 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 287 (1872); Holub Sf Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 273 (1882); Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 713 (1884); Hellmayr, Journ. Ornith. 1902, p. 285 [Pienaars Kiver] . 78 ARDEID^ ERYTHKjOCNUS Butorides rufiventris, Oates, Matabeleland, p. 327 (1881). Erythrocniis rufiventris, Shaiye. Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 200 (1898) ; W. L. Sclater, Ibis, 1899, p. 114 [Inhambane] ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 370 (1901). Description. Adult Female.— General colour above black, darkest on the head and neck, becoming more slaty on the scapulars and back ; lower back, rump, tail, and wing- coverts rich maroon-red ; primaries and their coverts slaty like the back, most of the secondaries maroon like tbe coverts, bend of the wing slightly mottled with grey ; throat, neck and upper breast black, shaded wuth bluish slate, especially on the breast ; a rather indefinite narrow mesial line of rufous runs down the centre; abdomen, under tail-coverts, axillaries and under wing-coverts rich maroon. Iris rich yellow, shading on the outer ring into orange, skin round the eyes and the basal half of the bill bright yellow, tip of the bill dark brown, legs and feet yellow, toes horn. Length about 15; wing 8-25; tail 2-5; culinen 2-25; tarsus 2-10 ; middle toe 2-5. A young bird is duller and browner than the adult, and the rufous colour much paler, throat yellowish buif, as well as the centre of the fore neck. The only example in the South African Museum, an apparently adult female, has the mesial throat streak very clearly marked ; this is not mentioned in Dr. Sharpe's description of a male in the Catalogue of Birds in the British Museum ; it therefore seems to be probable that the throat streak is absent in the adulb male, and that the sexes differ in this respect. Distribution. — The Eufous-bellied Heron is confined to Africa south of the Cunene and Zambesi Elvers, extending beyond our limits only in Southern Angola and to Quillimane. The species was first obtained by Wahlberg, in both "Lower and Upper Caifraria " ; and it is in the southern and eastern portion of our area along the rivers that it has chiefly been met with ; only the one occurrence within the boundaries of Cape Colony here noted is authenticated. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Kmg Williams Town (Bt. Mus); Natal— Durban (Bt. Mus.), St. Lucia Bay in Zululand (Layard) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, December, and junction of Matlabas and Limpopo Kivers (Ayres), Pienaars Eiver bridge in Pretoria district (Penther) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson) ; Ehodesia — Hendriks Vlei, December (Oates), Panda- matenka (Holub) ; German South-west Africa — Okavango Eiver ; ARDEID^ BUTORIDBS 79 Portuguese East Africa— Lake Bavane, near Inhambane, March_ (Francis). Habits. — The Kufous-bellied Heron is shy aod scarce ; several birds are generally seen together, they fly rapidly and settle on reeds; their food consists of aquatic animals such as fish, frogs, worms and water insects. Nothing is known of their nesting habits. Genus VII. BUTORIDES. Type. Butorides, Blyth, Cat. B. Mas. As. Soc. p. 281 (1849) B. javanica. Bill straight and strong ; culmen distinctly longer than the tarsus, which is about equal to the middle toe and claw ; upper and lower mandibles slightly serrated towards the tip; wings rather short, the second and third primaries about equal and the longest ; Fig. 21. — Left foot of Butorides atrlcapilla. x \ tibio-tarsus feathered almost to the lower joint, leaving no portion bare ; plumage greenish or brownish with ornamental elongate lanceolate feathers on the nape and back, but not on the fore neck ; these feathers are not decomposed, and appear to be retained throughout the year. 80 ARDEIDJE BUTORIDES Some eight species of this genus are usually recognised, dis- tributed over the whole of the New World, Africa, including Madagascar, Southern and Eastern Asia from India to Japan, Australia, and many of the island groups of the Pacific. Only one species is found in Africa. ^on 597. Butorides atricapillai Green-haclced Heron. Ardea atricapilla, Afzel. Act. Acad. Stoclih. xxv, p. 264 (1804) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 309 (1867). Butorides atricapilla, Kirl; Ibis, 1864, p. 333 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1865 p. 271 [Durban] ; id. ed. Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 292 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1878, p. 300, 1886 p. 294 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 [Umfuli Elver] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 719 (1884) ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 63 ; Fleck, Journ. Ornitli. 1894, p. 388 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 517 [Zululand] ; id. Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 172 (1898) ; Woodivard Bros., Natal B. p. 197 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 440 ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 370 (1901) ; Hellmayr, Journ. Ornith. 1902, p. 236 [Pienaars Eiver] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. Fig, 22, — Head of Butorides atricapilla. x ;f. Below, the anterior end of the upper mandible magnified to show the serrations. Description. Adult Male. — Crown, with the elongated crest feathers produced to a point, back with ornamental plumes and tail, all rich glossy dark green ; wings like the back, the coverts all edged with sandy buff, the primaries rather more dusky, edged with white ; ear coverts more or less ashy, bordered below by a short blackish streak ; hind neck and sides of the neck ashy-grey, ARDEIDiE BUTORIDES 81 extending forwards over the lower part of the face and back- wards over the greater part of the lower surface, except a line down the centre of the breast, which is strongly tinged with rufous ; chin, centre of the throat and fore neck white, mottled with tawny rufous, mottling continuous with the entirely rufous central streak on the breast. Iris yellow, bare skin round the eye light yellow; upper mandible dusky, lower one the same but with a little yellow along the lower margin ; legs and feet dusky above, yellow below. Length about 16; wing 7'25 ; tail 2-60; culmen 2-30; tarsus 2-0 ; middle toe and claw 20. The female resembles the male. A young bird is dark brown above, most of the feathers, especially of the wings, tipped with white ; the crown is already greenish in an example in the South African Museum ; below the throat is white, spotted and streaked with huffish and brown, the rest of the lower surface is streaked with black, white, and huffish white. Distribution. — The Green-backed Heron is found throughout the greater part of Africa, including Madagascar, Mauritius and Eodriguez, from the Gambia and the White Nile southwards. Within cur limits it occurs only in the extreme eastern portion of the Colony, but is generally distributed in the low country of Natal, the Transvaal and Ehodesia up to the Zambesi. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — near King Williams Town, rare (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, May (Shortridge, in S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Durban Harbour (Ayres), Tugela River (Bt. Mus.), Victoria county, and Ivuna Biver in Zululand (Wood- ward) ; Transvaal — Marico river, August, and Hex river, December, in Bustenburg (Ayres) ; Pienaars Biver bridge in Pretoria distr., April and May (Penther), Booirand in Zoutspansberg distr., June (W. Ayres), Silati railway in Lydenburg, August (Francis) ; Bechuana- land — Ngami distr. (Andersson), Nocana, on the Okavango Biver, July (Fleck) ; Bhodesia — Umfuli, September, and Quae-quae Bivers, October (Ayres), Makalaka country (Bt. Mus.), Upper Zambesi near Victoria Falls (W. L. Sclater) ; Portuguese East Africa — Zumbo, on the Zambesi, November (Alexander). Habits. — This Heron is a solitary and retiring bird, generally to be met with along the banks of rivers where there is plenty of bush or among the Mangrove swamps, such as are to be found in Durban Harbour; here it is sometimes to be seen perched on a branch overhanging the water, from which, if disturbed, it soon alights again 6 VOL. IV. 82 ARDEID^ NYCTICORAX in a more retired and shady spot ; its cry is harsh and its food con - sists of aquatic animals of all sorts. No one has hitherto, so far as I am aware, taken the eggs of this Heron in South Africa, but on the Gold Coast Dr. Eeichenow found it nesting in the Mangrove swamps, in small companies, in August and September. The eggs, generally three in number, were of the^ usual pale greenish-blue Heron type, and measured about 1-5 X 1-05. Genus VIII. NYCTICORAX. Tyioe. Nycticorax, Bafi7i., Analyse, p. 71 (1815) N. griseus. Bill stout, short and somewhat compressed, the culm en slightly curved and about equal to the tarsus, both distinctly shorter than the middle toe and claw ; mandibles not serrated along their edges, but the upper one with a distinct subterminal notch. Wings moderate, third primary generally the longest ; tail short, slightly rounded, of twelve feathers ; only the lowest half-inch of the tibio-tarsus bare of feathers ; tarsus covered with reticulate scales in front ; head crested and ornamented with two, much elongated, narrow ornamental plumes in the breeding season. Some nine species of this almost cosmopolitan genus are generally recognised; two of these are found in Africa and occur within our area. Key of the Species. A. Back greenish-black, no chestnut on the neck ... N. griseus, p. 82. B. A white patch on the back, neck bright chestnut N. leuconotus, p. 85. >/3 598. Nycticorax griseus. Night Heron. Ardea nycticorax, Linn., Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i. p. 235 (1766). Ardea grisea, Linn., Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 239 (1766). Nycticorax europaeus, Stephens, Genl. Zool. xi, p. 609 (1819) ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 333. Nycticorax griseus, Gurney, Ibis, 1865, p. 272, 1868, p. 256 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 311 (1867) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 193 ; Butler, Feilden, andBeid, Zool. 1882, p. 344; Holub d Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 277 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 364 [Shangani River] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 724 (1884) ; Aijres, Ibis, 1884, p. 233 ; Wood- ARDEID^ NYCTICORAX 83 ward Bros., Natal B. p. 197 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 266 ; Alexander, ibid. p. 440 ; Harris, Essays and Photos, p. 147 (1901)1 Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237. Nycticorax aegyptius, Gwrneij, in Andersson^s B. Damaral. p. 293 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 104. Nycticorax nycticorax, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) ; Cat. B. M. xxvi. p. 146 (1898); Beiehenow, Vog. Afr. i, (1901). Description. Adult male and female in breeding season.- including the crown, nape of the neck, centre of the back and inner secondaries greenish-black ; sides of the neck extending round the hind neck as a collar at the base, wings, except the inner secondaries, lower back, tail-coverts and tail-feathers ashy-grey or dove-coloured : forehead, a narrow stripe over the eye, chin, throat Sharpe, p. 362. -Above, Fig. 23. — Head of Nycticoi'ax griseus. and underparts white, becoming sKghtly shaded with ashy-grey on the sides of the body ; under wing-coverts nearly white ; nape feathers lengthened to form a short crest, in addition to which there are two elongated narrowed white ornamental plumes attaining a length of about nine inches. Iris crimson ; skin all round the eye pale green ; upper mandible slaty-black, whitish along the edge ; lower mandible flesh-coloured in the central portions, greenish at the base ; legs and feet pale yellow. Length about 22; wing 11-75 ; tail 4-10; culmen 2-70; tarsus 2-55 ; middle toe 3*05. In non-breeding plumage the white nape 84 ARDEID-2E3 NYCTICORAX plumes are lost and the back is said to be of a brighter green, though this latter statement is hardly true of the South African specimens. The young bird is very different from the adult ; it is pale brown, the head, neck and back streaked, the tail, wing-quills and their coverts tipped with buffy to pure white ; below, the white pre- dominates and the streaks are pale brown. Iris^ orange-yellow or orange-red ; legs and feet greenish-yellow. Distribution. — The Night Heron is found throughout Central and Southern Europe, and as a straggler in North Europe, also in Africa including Madagascar, Central and Southern Asia to Japan and the Moluccas, and in North America, south to the Lesser Antilles and Ecuador. In South Africa, though generally stated to be scarce, it is widely spread from Cape Town to the Zambesi in suitable spots ; probably its apparent rareness is due to its skulking habits. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape divi- sion, January, February, March (S. A. Mus.), Worcester, August (S. A. Mus.), Knysna lakes (Harris), Elands Post in Stockenstrom division (Atmore), Port Elizabeth, rare (Brown), East London, rare (Wood), Berg Eiver, breeding (Layard), Orange Eiver, near Aliwal North (Whitehead) ; Natal— Durban Harbour (Ayres), Ifafa (Wood- ward), Newcastle district, rare (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Frankfort (B. Hamilton); Transvaal — Potchefstroom, June, July, August (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Ngami district, common (Anders- son) ; Ehodesia — Sesheke (Holub), Shangani Eiver, November (Ayres), Salisbury district (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa — Ondonga in wet season (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Lower Zambesi Eiver, near Ohinde (Alexander). Habits. — The Night Heron, as its name implies, is a somewhat nocturnal bird ; it inhabits reedy marshes on the banks of rivers, and spends the day motionless and retired in a tree or among the reeds, where it rests in a characteristic attitude with hunched-up back, and neck withdrawn between the shoulders ; at dusk it issues forth with somewhat slow and laborious flight in search of its food, which consists of fishes, reptiles, frogs and other water animals. It has a loud, harsh, characteristic cry, sounding " rarr," but seldom heard except at night. Like so many other members of the family the Night Heron breeds in colonies, but hitherto the only breeding-place known in South Africa is on the Berg Eiver, near Mr. Melck's farm, whence Layard first obtained eggs. Dr. Stark visited this spot on Sep- ^/^ ARDEID^ NYCTICORAX 85 tember 9th, 1896, and gives the following account of it: "In a smalL group of dead willows in a wide part of the river above the farm were numerous nests of this bird, as also of the Snake Bird (Plotus rii/us), the little River Duiker {Phalacrocorax africanus), and the Grey Heron {Ardea cinerea). The nests were deep platforms of dead sticks averaging one foot nine inches ^across and from six to nine inches deep, placed in the fork of a bough, about five or six feet above the water. The birds sat until I was fifteen or twenty yards off, and returned to their nests almost as soon as I departed. The nests had no lining beyond the sticks of which they were built. The red irides of the bird were very conspicuous. Three clutches were taken, two of three, and one of two eggs each, all were quite fresh." These eggs are now in the South African Museum and vary slightly in shape and colour, but are all of shades of pale greenish-blue like those of other Herons ; they measure on an average 1'85 x 1*4:0. 599. Nycticorax leuconotus. White-hacked Night Heron. Ardea leuconota, Wagl. Syst, Av. Ardea, p. 189 (1827). Ardea cucullata, Wagl., Isis, 1829 p. 661. Calherodius cucullatus, Layard, Ibis, 1870, p. 443. Nycticorax leuconotus, Cah., in Von der DecJcen Beis. iii, p. 50, pi. xviii (1870) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' sB. S. Afr. p. 724 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1885, p. 349 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896) \* Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 157 (1898) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 363 (1902). Description. Adult. — General colour above black, the long scapular plumes white, the outer ones white along the inner webs, and continuous with a white patch on the upper back, rest of the back dusky slate with a greenish shade, lesser wing-coverts washed with rufous-brown ; crown crested, black with elongated nape- plumes ; lores white, extending above the eye, as also a small patch below the latter ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and sides of face, black ; upper throat white, lower throat and neck all round bright orange chestnut ; a line of black feathers down the hind neck to the mantle ; down the centre of the foreneck and breast a few dusky brown feathers, white on the outer web, giving a streaked appearance ; sides of the body, flanks, thighs, under wing-coverts and axillaries vinaceous slightly streaked with white. Iris fiery yellow ; lores and orbits bare and greenish-yellow ; bill blackish, yellowish towards the base ; feet orange. Length about 20 ; wing 10-2 : tail 4-1 ; culmen 2-6; tarsus 28. 86 ARDEID^ ARDETTA Distribution. — Africa from Senegal and the White Nila south- wards. This is a very scarce bird in South Africa, and, so far as I am aware, has only been twice procured — in April, 1870, on the Kleimont Eiver, in the Bathurst division of Cape Colony, by Messrs. E. Atherstone and H. Barber, and on the Hex Eiver in the Rusten- burg district of the Transvaal by Mr. Lucas. The latter specimen is now in the British Museum.* Mr. Lucas states that he found the nest of this bird " composed of rushes, on water " and that it contained five eggs tinged with pale green and measuring about 1-8 X 1'4:5. Genus IX. ARDETTA. ArdettSLy Gray, List Gen. B. App.i^. 13 (184:2) A. minuta. Bill long and slender, the culmen usually slightly exceeding the tarsus and the middle toe and claw, which are themselves about equal ; mandibles serrated towards their tips ; wings short and round, the second and third primaries usually the longest; tail very short, shghtly rounded, of ten feathers only ; tibio-tarsus feathered almost to the heel ; tarsus with transverse scutes in front ; a slight crest on the nape, and the feathers of the upper breast somewhat lengthened, concealing the lower breast, but no regular ornamental or decomposed train of feathers. This is a large genus containing some seventeen species of small Bittern-like birds and is distributed all over the world. Four African species are recognised by Reichenow, three of which occur within our limits. Key of the Species. A. Wing-coverts buff contrasting with the black or brown mottled back and scapulars. a. Neck frill chestnut A. jjayesi^ p. 86. b. Neck frill ochraceous or ashy fulvous A. minuta, p. 88. B. Whole of the upper surface, including the wing- coverts ai^d neck, ashy black A. stunm, p. 89. ^ // 600. Ardetta payesi. Red-necked Little Bittern. Ardea payesi, Hartl., Journ. Ornith. 1858, p. 42. Ardetta minuta {nee Linn.) Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 249, 1860, p. 205, 1868, p. 469, 1878, p. 300 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 309 (1867) ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 292 (1872) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 211. * There were three examples in the Durban Museum from the neighbourhood of that place : one of these, received in exchange, is now in the South African Museum. ARDEID^ ■ AKDETTA 87 Ardetta podiceps, {nee Bp.) Gurney, Ibis, 1863, p. 330, 1873, p. 259, 1877, p. 350 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, pp. 63, 86 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1878, p. 300, 1880, p. 270, 1884, p. 233, 1886, p. 294 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1894, p. 425 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 158 (1896); Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 225 (1898). Ardea pusilla (nee Vieill.) Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 310 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1869, p. 300 ; Butler, Feilden, and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 344 ; Flech, Journ. Ornith, 1894, p. 388. Botaurus pusillus, Sharjye, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 720 (1884). Ardetta payesi, Eeichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 367 (1901). Description. Adult Male. — General colour above, includiog the crown, which is strongly crested, back, scapulars, tail, primary coverts and wing-quills glossy greenish- black ; wing- coverts pearly- grey passing to a buffy-grey on the lesser series and becoming chest- nut on the bend of the wing ; sides of the face including the eyebrow and back of the neck vinous-chestnut, becoming paler, almost white, on the chin and front of the neck ; below buffy-white, nearly pure white on the abdomen; some long feathers at the sides of the breast, blackish with buffy margins ; under wing-coverts and axillaries white ; quills sooty-black below ; back of the neck bare but covered over by the lengthened curling side feathers. Iris orange-red, bill pale-chrome, greenish towards the base, dusky along the culmen and at the tip ; legs and feet greenish. Length (with outstretched neck) about 14 ;*wing 5-1 ; tail 2-1 ; culmen 2-0; tarsus 1*75; middle toe 1'9. The female is rather different from the male ; the back, including the scapulars and inner secondaries is dark chestnut-brown, the feathers edged with pale buff; the wings, tail and head are like those of the male ; the chestnut of the neck is rather richer ; below buffy-white with more or less distinct streaks of darker buff at the base of the neck, these feathers concealing the black buff-edged feathers of the breast. TJ^ie young bird resembles the old female but is rathe^ more varied and streaky, especially on the wing-coverts and under surface. Distribution. — This Little Bittern is found throughout Africa from Senegal and the White Nile southwards. In Madagascar it is replaced by a closely allied form [A. podiceps) with which it has been hitherto generally united, but from which it differs in its much lighter coloured foreneck and under parts. In South Africa this Little Bittern is widely spread throughout ^1 88 ARDEID^ * AKDETTA the country and appears to be a resident. The following are recorded locaUties : Cape Colony — Cape division, January, September, Wor- cester, January, March, Vryburg, August (S. A. Mus.), Ceres (Shelley), Kuruman (Fritch), Port Elizabeth, fairly common (Brown) ; Natal — near coast (Ayres), Eichmond Eoad (Butler) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, January to September (Ayres), Komati- poort, October (Francis in S. A. Mus.) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami district (Andersson), Nocana, July (Fleck) ; Ehodesia -Upper Zam- besi (Bradshaw and Chapman) ; German South-west Africa — Oka- vango (Andersson), Eeheboth, October (Fleck). Habits. — The Eed-necked Little Bittern is a skulking bird found in thick reed-beds, where it hops from one stem to another and threads its way with great celerity among the tangled vegetation, seldom making a flight of any length or duration. It lies very close, as a rule, when disturbed, and endeavours to avoid obser- vation by stretching out its long neck and compressing its body and remaining motionless in a vertical position so as to resemble the reeds among which it is resting. The food consists of small lizards, frogs, and insects of various kinds, especially grass-hoppers and caterpillars. Mr. Austin Eoberts has found the nest of this species on several occasions in the swamps near Potchefstroom ; it is usually placed about four feet above the water where three or four rushes cross one another in the densest part of the reed bed ; it is flat and made of roots, similar to a Turtle Dove's, but a little larger. The clutch is two or three, and the eggs, which are white, measure 1*45 x 1-1. One nest was found containing three fledgelings which had already learned the habit of concealing themselves by standing erect and pointing their beaks up in the air. so as to resemble the reeds around them. ^ ^ 601. Ardetta niinuta^. European Little Bittern. Ardea minuta, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 240 (1766). Ardetta minuta, Dresser B. Eur. vi, p. 259, pi. 401 (1880) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxvi, p. 222 (1898) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 366 (1901) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 205. Description. — Eesembling ^. ^a?/<3s* very closely, but distinguished by the colour of the sides of the face and neck, where the rufous- chestnut is replaced by a vinous-brown shade ; the wing-coverts are ARDEIDiE ABDETTA 89 much more strongly washed with buffy-yellow, and the bend of_the wing has no chestnut patch. Iris orange-red : bill yellowish-green, darker along the culmen ; legs green. Length (in the flesh) 14*5 ; wing 5*5; tail 1-8 ; culmen 1-9 ; tarsus 1-65 ; middle toe 19. Distribution. — The Little Bittern is found in temperate and Southern Europe, extending as far east as Northern India ; it is a straggler to Scandinavia and the British Islands. In the northern winter it is found throughout Northern and in parts of Central Africa, while apparently a few birds stray even further south. This Little Bittern has been so constantly confused with A.paycsi, the resident South African form, that it is difficult to be certain how many times it has occurred, but there is an undoubted example of this species in the South African Museum, recently obtained by Mr. Shortridge at Port St. John's, in Pondoland, in January. ,/' 613. Sarcidiornis melanonota. Knoh-hilled Duck. Anser melanotus, Pennant, Ind. Zool. p. 12, pi. xi (1769). Sarkidiornis africanus, Eyton, Mon.A^iat.i^. 103 (1838) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 347 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 266 ; 1880, p. 112; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 214 ; Holicb Sf Pelzeln Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 321 (1882) ; SJiarpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 752 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A., p. 123, pi. xii, fig. 64 (1892) ; Blaauiu, Ibis, 1904, p. 74. Sarkidiornis melanotus, Gurney in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 335 (1872) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 367 [Molopo River] ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 405 (1893); Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 380; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 129 (1900). Sarkidiornis melanonota, Garrod, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 152, fig. 1-2 (trachea) ; P. L. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1876, p. 694, pi. 67; Trimen, P. Z. 8. 1877, p. 683 ; Oates, Matabeleland, pp. 91, 327 (fig. of head) (1881) ; Salva- dori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 54 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 170 (1896) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 268; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 443; Oates^ Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 142 (1902). " Comb-duck " of some authors. 120 ANSEEES SARCIDIORNIS Description. Adult Male. — Head, neck all round and whole of the under surface white, except the sides and flanks, which are greyish; the sides of head and neck with metallic purplish spots which on the top of the head and along the nape coalesce and form a black band ; the feathers along this region erect and curly ; upper surface of the body black, glossed with purple, green and coppery metallic sheen on the scapulars, wing coverts and tail ; a whitish patch in the centre of the back. According to Bohm the male, during the breeding season, has a bunch of orange yellow feathers on the sides of the lower abdomen. Iris dark brown ; bill, on which is an erect compressed semi- circular elevation, black ; legs dark plumbeous. / Fig. 35. — Head of Sarcidiarnis melanonota, S ■ x | Length about 31-0 ; wing 14-5 ; tail 6-0 ; culmen 3 0 ; tarsus 2'25. Excrescence on the bill, length along base 2-0, height 1-75, present in the breeding season, inconspicuous at other times of the year. The female is like the male but smaller ; the head and neck is more spotted and there is less metallic gloss ; the excrescence on the bill is absent ; wing ll-O to 11-5. The young bird is like the female but without any metallic gloss. Distribution.— The Knob-billed Duck is found in India, including Ceylon and Burma, and also throughout Africa from Gambia and Khartoum southwards, as well as in Madagascar. Its headquarters in South Africa are in Bechuanaland about Lake Ngami and the Upper Zambesi, where it appears to be fairly ANSERES NETTOPUS 121 common ; elsewhere it occurs only as a straggler, while it has cmly: been met with once south of the Orange Eiver. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Kleinmont Eiver in Bathurst division (Layard), Molopo Eiver near Mafeking, January (Ayres) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom (Barratt & Ayres), Eustenburg (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland— Lake Ngami, throughout the year (Andersson), Botletli Eiver (Bryden), Kanye (Nicolls & Egling- ton), Tati Eiver (S. A. Mus.) ; Ehodesia— Eamaquaban Eiver, March (Gates), Upper Zambesi (Bradshaw), Upper Mazoe, rare (Marshall), Kafue Eiver (Alexander) ; German South-west Africa— Great Namaqualand and Damaraland in rainy season, Okavango Eiver throughout the year (Andersson), Eeheboth, in rains (Fleck). Habits. — Little of special interest has been recorded about this curious looking Duck in South Africa; it is usually met with in flocks where plentiful, flying in the V shaped formation, and it not infre- quently perches on dry, dead trees, at which times it is not very difficult to approach ; it is said by most sportmen to be exceedingly good eating, surpassing both the Spur-wing and the Egyptian Goose in this respect. It apparently breeds in Bechuanaland, though no one has hitherto given any account of the matter ; eggs laid in captivity in Holland, in Mr. Blaauw's garden, were yellowish-white and rather more pointed at one end than the other ; they were not hatched, however, and proved to have been unfertilized. There are six eggs of this species in the British Museum, obtained by Mr, Andersson at Ondonga, in Ovampoland, in February ; they are described as being smooth, rather glossy and pale yellowish- white, and measure from 2-58 to 2-22 x 1'78 to 1-65. Genus III. NETTOPUS. Tijpe. Nettapus, Brandt, Descr. Icon. Anim. Boss. Nov., Aves, fasc. i, p. 5 (1836)... N. auritus. Bill very short and deep, depth at the base about equal to the culmen without the nail ; nostrils oval, near the base of the bill ; wings moderate and pointed, the first three primaries subequal ; tail very short and pointed, of twelve feathers ; legs placed very far back, tarsus with a row of transverse scutes in front, a good deal shorter than the anterior toes ; hind toe slender, with a narrow but distinct lobe ; size very small, plumage glossy, sexes distinct. 122 ANSERES NETTOPUS Four species spread over the Ethiopian, Oriental and AustraHan regions are generally recognised. Only one of these inhabits Africa S^i^ 614. Nettopus auritus. Divarf Goose. Anas aurita, Bodd. Tahl. PI. Enl. p. 48 (1783). Anas madagascariensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 522 (1788). Nettapus madagascariensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 251 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 348 (1867) : id. Ibis, 1869, p. 377 ; Aijres, Ibis, 1877, p. 354. Nettapus auritus, KirJc, Ibis, 1864, p. 336 ; Gurney in Andcrsson's B. Damaral. p. 336 (1872) ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 327, fig. on p. 243 (1881) ; Holub d Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 328 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Bayard's B. S. Afr. p. 750 (1884); Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 297; Nicolls and Eglington, 8ports7n. S. A.]). 122 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 406 (1893) ; Fled, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 380 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii. p. 65 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 170 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 208 (1899) ; W. L. Sclater, Ibis, 1899, p. 114 [Inhambane] ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 269 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i. p. 127 (1900) ; Hellmaijr, Journ. Ornith. 1902, p. 237 [Sibanini]. Description. Adult Male. — Forehead, sides of the face, chin, throat and an almost complete ring round the middle of the neck white ; crown and a narrow band down the back of the neck dark metallic-green, separating a pale green patch on either side of the Fig. 86. —Head of Nettopus auritus neck ; this is again separated by a narrow line of black from the white of the face and throat ; lower neck ^11 round, sides of the body and flanks rufous-chestnut, slightly speckled with green on the lower hind neck; the lower breast and abdomen pure white, and ANSERES NETTOPUS 123 the under tail-coverts dark brown ; upper surface, including the lail: coverts and most of the wiog-coverts dark metallic-green, the primaries and tail-quills black, the outer primary coverts and some of the outer secondaries white, forming a longitudinal white band in the closed wing. Iris dark brown to bluish ; bill bright yellow with a very dark brown nail ; legs and feet bluish-black, shading on the hinder part of the legs to yellowish. Length about 12-5 ; wing 6-25 ; tail 3*0 ; tarsus 1-0 ; culmen 1-0. The female is duller in colour throughout, the forehead and sides of the face are spotted and mottled with brown ; there is no pale green patch or black crescentic boundary line on the sides of the neck, the green and cinnamon freckUng of the lower hind neck and the upper tail-coverts is more noticeable. Iris dark brown, almost black ; bill dusky yellowish, shading to almost black at the tip ; lower mandible livid ; legs bluish black ; dimensions about the same as in the male. Distribution. — Africa, south of the Gambia on the west, and of Lamu on the east, as well as Madagascar, is the area of the range of the African Dwarf Goose. In South Africa it is a casual visitor to the Colony, and only met with along the coast and larger rivers, but is more frequently to be seen in Natal and the Transvaal up to the Zambesi. It is not recorded from German South-west Africa, though fairly plentiful about Lake Ngami. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Mossel Bay (S. A. Mus.), Port Elizabeth, rare (Brown), Grahamstown (Layard), Alexandria and King Williams Town (S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Umgeni, near Howick, Umsindusi near Maritzburg, Clair- mont, near Durban (Woodward), Zululand (Brit. Mus.) ; Transvaal —near Potchefstroom, April, June (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland— Lake Ngami fAndersson), Nocana, July (Fleck), Botletli Eiver (Bryden) ; Ehodesia— Sibanini in Eastern Matabeleland (Penther), Upper Zambesi (Holub and Bradshaw), Mashonaland, not very common (Marshall) ; Portuguese East Africa— Inhambane, September (Francis). Habits. — The Dwarf Goose is usually foun^ in small flocks which haunt some quiet lagoon near a river or lake ; it is a good diver and seldom leaves the neighbourhood of water. It is not very shy, and at certain seasons is fat and pretty good eating. No observer has yet described its breeding habits in South Africa. 124 ANSERES DENDROCYCNA Although the bill of this bird is shaped somewhat like that of a goose, it differs widely from the Geese in structure and habits. It is rarely seen on land and is a good swimmer and diver, whereas the true geese are good walkers and essentially land-feeders. Genus IV. DENDROCYCNA. Type. Dendrocygna, Sioains. Class. B. ii. p. 365 (1837) D. arcuala. Bill moderate, depth at the base less than half the total length ; of nearly equal width throughout, but slightly broader about two- thirds of the way down ; a strong downwardly-pointed nail ; wings rounded, second and third primaries usually the longest but these are all generally shorter than the longest primaries ; no speculum ; tail short and rounded, of sixteen feathers ; tarsus long and strong, about the same length as the inner toe without claw, covered with reticulate scales in front as well as on the sides ; hind toe narrowly lobed ; trachea with an osseous bulb in the males. Nine species of this genus, which is spread over the tropical regions of both hemispheres, are recognised by Salvadori ; two of these are found in Africa, and both of them occur within our limits. Key of the Species. A. Anterior half of head and throat white, hinder half black D.viduata,^. 124. B. Head rufous brown, becoming paler on the chin and throat D.fulva, p. 126. "l^i 615. Dendrocycna Yiduata. White-faced Duck. Anas viduata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 205 (1766). Dendrocygna viduata, Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 251, 1862, p. 158 [Natal] ; Layard B. S. Afr. p. 349 (1867) ; Gurney in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 338 (1872); Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 214; Holub d Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 328 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Lanyard's B. S. Afr. p. 751 (1884) ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 64 ; Nicolls and Egling- ton, Sportsm. S. A. p. 126 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 407 (1893) ; Flech, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 380 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii. p. 145 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 171 (1896) ; Woodivard Bros., Natal B. p. 209 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 443 ; Reichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i. p. 124 (1900). " Masked Duck" of some authors. ANSERES DENDROCYCNA 125 Descrvption. Adidt Male. — Front half of the head, sides of-th& face and chin, and a separate patch in the middle of the neck in front white ; hinder half of the head, back of the neck and a band across the middle of the throat black ; lower half of the neck all round, upper breast and ulnar portion of the wing rich maroon, becoming brown on the upper back and scapulars, the feathers becoming edged and banded with fulvous ; a chestnut patch in the middle of the back ; primaries black, secondaries and rest of the wing olive brown ; lower back, tail-coverts and tail and whole of the centre of the breast and abdomen black ; sides of the body and flanks banded black and white. Iris hazel (black according to Alexander) ; bill black, with an irregular transverse bar near the tip leaden-blue ; legs and feet leaden. Fig. 37. — Head of Dendrocycna viduata. x i Length about 19-0 ; wing 9-5 ; tail 2*5 ; tarsus 245 ; calmen 2*0. The female resembles the male ; the young bird has the abdomen whitish mixed with black. Distribution. — This Duck has a rather remarkable range, being found throughout the greater part of South America from the West Indies to the Argentine, and in Africa, south of the' Sahara, from the Gambia and Khartoum downwards, as well as in Madagascar. Except in the Lake regions and on the Zambesi this is a rare Duck in South Africa, and has hitherto not been met with within the limits of Cape Colony or in Great Namaqualand or Damara- land. The following are recorded localities : Natal — Umlazi River 126 ANSERES DENDROCYCNA mouth, June (Ayres), Durban Harbour (Woodward) ; Transvaal — near Potchefstroom, rare, November (Ayres and Barratt) ; Bechu- analaud — Okavango Eiver and Lake Ngami (Andersson), Botletli Eiver (Bryden), Nocana, July (Fleck) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Bradshaw and Holub) ; Portuguese East Africa — Zumbo (Alexan- der), iDhambane, December (Francis, in S. A. Mus.). Habits. — This Duck is gregarious, occurring in flocks usually of considerable size on the lagoons and streams along the coast and up some of the more considerable rivers, such as the Zambesi and Okavango. Though not a regular migrant its numbers appear to be reinforced in these districts during the rainy season, or in the case of the Lake-regions, during the annual inundations in the winter ; it is then to be met with in very large flocks. Its voice is a clear sibilant whistle, generally heard when the birds are on the wing in early morn or late at night. These ducks appear to be somewhat stupid and to be easily caught ; their flesh is very good eating. The Woodwards, as also Nicolls and Eglington, state that this species perches on trees ; this, however, is contradicted by Eeiche- now and von Heuglin, who both distinctly assert that they have never observed this habit. Nothing appears to be known about the breeding of this species in South Africa, but there are eggs from Madagascar in the British Museum ; they are glossy and cream- coloured, and measure about 2-0 x 1'5. p^^ 616. Dendrocycna fulva. Whistlmg Duck. Anas fulva, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i. p. 530 (1788). Dendrocygna fulva, Holub d PeUeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 328 (1882) ; Fleclc, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 380; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii. p. 149 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i. p. 171 (1896) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i. p. 126 (1900). Descrii)tion. Adult. — Head, neck and below throughout pale rufous-brown, almost white on the chin and throat, darkest on the crown, the hinder feathers of which are slightly crested ; a narrow, almost black line runs down the back of the neck ; wings and back black, the feathers of the upper back and scapulars broadly tipped with rufous-brown ; lesser coverts and feathers along the edge of the wing maroon ; upper and lower tail-coverts white ; tail black. Iris dark brown ; bill bluish-black ; legs slaty-blue. ANSERES ALOPOCHEN 127 Length about 19-5 ; wing 9-5 ; tail 20 ; culmen 2*0 ; tarsus. 2:0. The sexes are aUke ; young birds have very Httle maroon on the lesser wing-coverts, the under parts paler and the upper tail-coverts margined with brown. Distribution. — The Whistling -Duck has a very remarkable dis- connected range, extending over four continents ; it is met with in the southern part of the United States and Mexico in North America, from Venezuela and Peru to the Argentine in South America, from Kordofan southwards along the Nile Valley, through Nyasaland, to Lake Ngami in Africa, in Madagascar, and finally in India, Ceylon and. Burma. The first notice of its occurrence within our limits is that of Holub, who obtained from Walsh a specimen shot at Sesheke on the Upper Zambesi in the month of January ; there is a pair in the South African Museum obtained by Mr. Eriksson, the one labelled Botletli Kiver, July, 1885, the other, Tebra Country, near Lake Ngami, April, 1884, while the German traveller, Fleck, also brought an example from Lake Ngami, shot in August. Mr. A. D. Millar tells me that there is an example of this species in the Durban Museum, obtained by himself in that neighbourhood some years ago. Genus V. ALOPOCHEN. Type. Chenalopex, Stephens (nee Vieill.), Gen. Zool. xii. pt. 2, p. 41 (1824) A. segyptiacus. Alopochen, Stejn., Standard Nat. Hist. iv. p. 141 (1885) A. aegyptiacus. Bill stout, short and deep, its depth at the base about half the length of the culmen ; no prominent lamella3 at the edges of the bill ; nostrils oval ; wing long and pointed, reaching nearly to the end of the tail, a metallic speculum formed by the secondaries in front, a blunt osseous callosity at the bend of the wing ; tail of fourteen feathers, broad and square ; tarsus long and strong, considerably exceeding all the toes, with a narrow hne of transverse scutes in front ; hind toe with a narrow lobe ; an osseous bulb at the base of the trachea in the male. This genus contains two species only— the type here described and A. jnhatus from tropical South America. 128 ANSERES ALOPOCHEN ^^ J 617. Alopochen aegyptiacus. Berg' Gam. Anas aegyptiaca, Linn., Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 197 (1766) ; Burchell, Travels, i, p. 283, ii, p. 346 (1822-24) ; Livingstone, Miss. Travels, p. 254 (1857) ; Grill, K., Vet. AMd. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 56 (1858). Chenalopex aegyptiacus, KirJc, Ibis, 1864, p. 336 ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 347 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 49 [Natal] ; Layard, Ibis, 1869, p. 377 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral.^. 335 (1872) ; BuMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 367 [Mashonaland] ; Butler, Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 427 ; Holuh ^^ Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 322, fig. of bird on nest (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 747 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsin. S. Afr. p. 122 (1892) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii,' p. 167 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 171 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 209 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 443 ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 131 (1900) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237 ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 207. "Egyptian or Nile Goose" of some authors; "' Esikwi " of Kaflirs (Lawrence) a name also applied to the Spur- winged Goose; "Lefalva" of Basutos (Murray). Fig. 38.— Left foot of Alopochen cegyptiactis. x | Description. Adult female. — Crown, lower cheeks aod throat dirty white, becoming darker and browner on the nape ; edging round the base of the bill, a patch round the eye, an irregular ring round the middle of the neck and patch in the middle of the breast chestnut ; lower neck all round, sides of the body, flanks and thighs, grey, finely mottled with narrow transverse bands of black ; centre' of the abdomen white, becoming very pale chestnut on the ANSERES ALOPOCHEN 129 uuder tail-coverts ; centre of the back, upper tail-coverts, tall, primaries and outer secondaries black, the latter glossed with metallic green and purple, inner secondaries dark rufous ; whole of the wing-coverts white, the greater series with a narrow subterminal black band. Iris orange to crimson ; bill light pink, darker or pinky-brown on the tip, margins and base ; legs pink. Length 28 ; wing 16 ; tail 5*25 ; tarsus 3-30 ; culmen 2*5 ; weight of a male 5|lbs., of a female 4ros. (Ayres). The sexes are alike, except that the female is slightly smaller. Fig. 39. — Head of Alopochen cegyj^tiacus. x § Distribution. — The Egyptian Goose or Berg Gans is found throughout Africa south of the Sahara, while to the north-east its range extends through Nubia and Egypt as far as Palestine. It does not occur in Madagascar. In England and on the Continent of Europe it has been met with from time to time, but this is probably due to escapes from captivity, in which state it is often kept. In South Africa this is by far the commonest of the larger Ducks, and is to be found throughout the whole country, both on the coasts, along the rivers, and on ponds and vleis. The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony — Verloren Vlei in Piquetberg, Vogel Vlei in Paarl, Bot Eiver mouth in Caledon, Gouritz River in Mossel Bay and Keurboom River in Knysna (Layard), King Williams Town, rare (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, July (Shortridge), Zak River in Fraserburg, September, and near Kuruman (Burchell), Orange River mouth (Howard), near Upington, breeding in October (Bradshaw), near Aliwal North, February (Whitehead) ; Natal — Newcastle, October (Butler), Ifafa and near Maritzburg, rare (Woodward) ; Basutoland (Murray) ; Transvaal — 9 VOL. II. 130 ANSERES ALOPOCHEN Limpopo Eiver (Buckley and Eriksson) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Bradshaw and Livingstone), Mashonaland (Ayres) : German South-west Africa — Great Namaqualand and Damaraland, common resident (Andersson) ; Zambesi (Kirk and Alexander). Habits — The Berg Gans, or as it is generally called in Europe, the Egyptian Goose, has been known from remote antiquity ; it is often figured on the monuments of ancient Egypt, where it was domesticated, and although not itself sacred was the emblem of Seb, the father of Osiris. It was well known to the Greeks, from whom it obtained the name of Chenalopex (i.e., Fox Goose), possi- bly on account of its colour, or perhaps because it was supposed to build in burrows, a habit more strictly attributed to the Sheldrakes. In South Africa it is, as a rule, found alone or in pairs, though at certain seasons of the year large numbers assemble at the vleis to breed and moult their flight feathers. It is a shy and wary bird, feeding early and late on grassland, and retiring to roost at night among thick rushes. Its cry is described by Andersson as a " barking quack," and is heard when the bird is on the wing. The flesh is dark, coarse and unpalatable. In a choice of a breeding site the Berg Gans shows considerable differences;, sometimes the nest is placed among thick rushes on the ground, at other times in a hollow tree standing near a river bank, while Mr. Atmore relates that he came across nests built on broad ledges of rock 200 feet above the banks of the Gouritz Eiver in the Mossel Bay district, and that this site was amicably shared with numerous Vultures {Gyps kolhii) ; Eriksson found a nest on a small island in the Limpopo Eiver on the 17th of September; it was thickly lined with down and contained eight eggs much incubated. There are two eggs of this species in the South African Museum, obtained by Mr. Bradshaw on October 28th, from a nest built on an island in the Orange Eiver near Upington ; the number of eggs found was five, and they are described as having been quite fresh. They are pure white, smooth, and somewhat shiny, and small for the size of the bird, measuring 2-65 x 1-85. This bird is well known in Zoological Gardens, and has been more or less acclimatised in England, where it may sometimes be seen on ornamental waters. It has frequently hybridised with the Spur-winged Goose, and even occasionally with the Mallard. ANSRRES CASARCA 131 Genus VI. CASARCA. Type. Casarca, -B^., Comp. List, p. 66 (1838) C. rutila. Bill rather short, high at the base but with a nearly straight culmen and about the same breadth throughout ; lamellae at the edges of both mandibles prominent and conspicuous ; nail small and blunt ; wings long and pointed, first primary the longest, a conspicuous speculum, formed by the outer webs of the secondaries ; an osseous callosity at the bend of the wing ; tail of fourteen feathers, short and nearly square ; tarsus about equal to the middle toe and claw, covered with reticulate scales, those along the middle line in front on the lower half slightly broader than the others, and forming a transverse row of scutes ; hind toe with a very narrow lobe ; prevailing coloration chestnut ; sexes dissimilar. This genus, containing the Sheldrakes or Shelducks, consists of four species, and is spread all over the Old World, including Australia. One species only is found in South Africa, though the Buddy Sheldrake {C. rutila) comes as far south as Abyssinia during the northern winter. 618. Casarca cana. South African Shelduck. Gray-headed Duck, Brown, Neiv lUusfr. Zooh pp. 802, 104, pis. 41-2 ri776). Anas cana, Ginel, S^jst. Nat. i, p. 510 (1788). Casarca cana, P. L. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1859, p. 442, pi. clviii. (hybrid with Tadorna cornuta) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 262 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 266, 1885, p. 350 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 753 (1884) ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 335 ; NicoUs and Eglingion, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 129 (1892) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvi'i, p.' 182 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 171 (1896) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 137 (1900) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 17 [Deel- fontein] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 207. Casarca rutila {nee Pall), Layard, B. S. Afr., p. 350 (1867). " Berg-eend " of the Dutch. Description. Adult male. — Head and neck all round dark ashy- grey ; mantle, scapulars, outer webs of the inner secondaries and lower parts throughout, rufous-chestnut, paler on the mantle, breast and under tail-coverts ; centre of the back, tail-coverts, tail, primaries and primary-coverts black, the back vermiculated with rufous ; outer secondaries metallic-green on the outer web, ashy-black on the inner, with a good deal of white towards their bases ; wing- 132 ANSERES CASARCA coverts, edge of the wing, under wing-coverts (except the greater series, which are ashy-black) and axillaries pure white. Iris pale yellow ; bill and legs black. Length about 26 ; wing 15 ; tail 5*0 ; culmen 2-0 ; tarsus 24:. The female is smaller than the male and has the front of the face white, including the forehead, patch round the eye and chin ; wing 13 ; culmen 1-75 ; tarsus 1*90. Fig. 40, — Head of Casarca cana, c? . x | Distribution. — This Shelduck has a very restricted range and seems to be most common on the high plateau of the Colony and about the Orange Eiver. It has been met with hitherto only in Cape Colony, the Orange River Colony and the Transvaal, and appears to be absent from Natal, Rhodesia and German South-west Africa. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape flats, Berg River and Beaufort West (S. A. Mus.), Deelfontein (Seimund) ; Orange River Colony— Kroonstad, Marcb, not plentiful (Symonds), Basutoland fairly common (Murray) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, July (Ayres). Habits. — The Berg-eend is generally considered rather a scarce bird, but Messrs." Grant and Seimund found it very common all the year round at Deelfontein in the centre of the Karoo ; it is generally met with in pairs, but it is not unusual to see half a dozen together on a dam, feeding or resting ; it is frequently caught when young and domesticated by the farmers in South Africa, and it bears captivity very well ; it also hybridises freely with other species. A female, formerly in the Zoological Gardens of London, bred first of all with a Ruddy Shelduck, afterwards with one of her own hybrid offspring, and finally with a common Shelduck {Tadorna ANSERES ANAS 133 cornuta). The result of the Jast union was a rather remarkab^le- bird, figured in the Proceedings of the Zoological Society (1859, pi. 158), hardly resembling either of the parents and possessing dusky-grey flanks somewhat reminding one of the Australian species ( Gasarca tado rnoides) . Grant and Seimund found the nest of this species in the hole of an Ant bear or Porcupine on the veld ; the clutch is from eight to ten eggs. The colour is creamy-white and the measurements 2 5 to 2-0 X 1-8 to 19. Whitehead states that an officer told him that he had found a nest among the rocks above the river near Aliwal North. It is also generally stated that the young when hatched are carried down to the water by the female on her back. Genus VII. ANAS. Tijpe. ' Anas, Linn., Sijst. Nat. i, p. 194 (1766) A. boschas. Bill moderate, about as long as the head, culmen nearly straight, sides nearly parallel, perhaps slightly broadening towards the tip ; nail not prominent ; wing long and pointed with a conspicuous metallic green and blue speculum, formed by the outer secondaries ; tail rather short and graduated, of from sixteen to twenty feathers, which are sometimes stiff and narrow ; tarsus shorter than the middle and outer toes, about equal to the inner one, with a row of transverse shields in front ; hind toe narrowly lobed ; plumage generally mottled. Authorities are at considerable differences as regards the limits of this cosmopolitan genus ; Salvadori and Sharpe include only seventeen species, while Eeichenow, putting together several genera recognised by the former authors, considers that fifty-one species should be assigned to the genus. For convenience of reference a key is here given of the five species of South African Ducks included in the genus in its wider significance ; these are all resident birds ; none of the European migratory forms extend their winter range so far south. Key of the Species. A. Larger, wing 8 to 13. a. Speculum green and black. a\ Bill yellow, with black on the culmen, legs black A. undulata, p. 134. 134 ANSEEES ANAS b^. Bill slaty with black on the culmen, legs yellow, webs black A. sparsa, p. 136. c^ Bill crimson with base and edges black, legs dirty yellow N. capense, p. 138. h. Speculum salmon pink. a.^ Bill pink with a brown central stripe ; ^ legs dirty grey P. erythrorhyncha, p. 141. B. Smaller, wing about 6 ; speculum bright green ; bill black and leaden N. punctatiim, p. 139. 7>^ 619. Anas undulata. Geclbec or Yelloiv Bill^ /ChttZ^ Anas flavirostris (nee Vieill.) Smith, Cat. S. A. Mas. p. 36 (1837) ; id. Illiistr. Zool. S. A. Aves, pi. 96 (1844) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 352 (1867); Gicrney, Ibis, 1868, p. 49 [Natal]; BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 390 ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 349, 404 (1893). Anas undulata, Dubois, Orn. Gall. p. 119, pi. 77 (1839); Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 212 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 172 (1896) ; Woodivard bros., Natal B. p. 209 (1899) ; Beichetinw, Vog. Afr. i, p. 113 (1900) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 269 ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs ii, p. 165, pi. vi, fig. 5 (1902) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 207. Anas xanthorhyncha, Forst., Descr. An, p. 45 (1844) ; Pelzeln, Novara Beise, Vogel, p. 138 (1865) ; Gurney, in Andersson^s B. Damaral. p. 342 (1872); Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 105, 1880, p. 272; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 327 (1881) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 368 [Mashona- land] ; Holiib d Pelzeln, Orn. Slid- Afr. p. 329 (1882)^; Butler^ Feilden andBeid, Zool. 1882, p. 427 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 755 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 127, pi. xii, fig. 60 (1892) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 381. Description. Adult male. — General colour dark ashy-brown, the head and neck finely streaked with whitish ; the feathers of the upper part of the body narrowly, those of the lower broadly edged with white, so that the whole bird has a mottled appearance ; primaries dark brown, outer secondaries metallic-green or blue on the outer web, forming a conspicuous speculum, a few of the inner secondaries rich velvety black on the outer web forming a margin to the speculum ; tail of sixteen feathers, which are rather narrow and pointed, especially the central pair. Iris hazel ; bill yellow, black along the middle of the culmen and at the tip ; legs black. Length 22-5 ; wing 9*7 ; tail 3*0 ; culmen 2-0 ; tarsus 1*5. The sexes are alike. DistribiUioji. — This is certainly the commonest Duck throughout the greater part of South Africa, and is found everywhere except ANSERES ANAS 135 perhaps in German South-west Africa and along the Natal «e£U- board. It appears to be partially migratory, its movements depend- ing on rainfall. Beyond our limits its range extends as far only as Angola on the west, but through Nyasaland and Central Africa as far as Abyssinia on the east. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape and Mossel Bay division (S. A. Mus.), Vogel vlei in Paarl, Zoetendal's vlei in Bredasdorp, breeding (Layard and S. A. Mus.), Port Elizabeth, fairly common (Brown), East London, rare (Wood), King Williams Town (Trevelyan), St. John's Eiver, April (Short- ridge), near Taungs (Holub) ; Natal — Mooi Eiver, May and Novem- FiG. 41. — Head of Anas undulata. x | ber (Buckley and Ayres), Weenen and Maritzburg (Woodward), Newcastle district (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Ehenoster Eiver (Ayres), Vredefort Eoad station (B. Hamilton), Vlakfontein in Harrismith district, breeding April (Sparrow), Basutoland very common (Murray) ; Transvaa^ — near Pretoria, June (Gates), Potchef stroom , July, August (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami and Botletli Eiver (Andersson), Nocana on the Okavango, July (Fleck) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Holub), Mashonaland, not common (Marshall). Habits. — The Geelbec keeps as a rule to marshes, lakes and stagnant water, and avoids running streams ; it is usually found in pairs, though sometimes in larger numbers. Layard states that it is very shy and wary, but other observers have found it the reverse in this respect ; probably this depends on the amount of molestation to which it is subjected. Its food consists of grass, seeds and vegetable matter, and like other Ducks, it moults its wing feathers all at once during the winter time, and is then careful to remain sheltered in thick cover. 136 ANSERES ANAS Layard states that this Duck nests on the dry veld away from water in dense bush, and that, as the female sits very close, she is difficult to find. Ayres, on the other hand, states that the nest is built up of dry flags among the rushes, well above the level of the water. The eggs, generally from six to nine in number, are elliptical, smooth, and vary from a very "pale brown to creamy in colour; examples from Zoetendal's vlei in the South African Museum measure 2-27 X 1'75. P ^S 620. Anas sparsa. Blach Duck. Anas sparsa, Smith, Cat. S. Afr. Mas. p. 36 (1837) ; id. Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves. pi. 97 (1844) ; Grill, K. Vet. Ahad. Handl. Stockh. ii, no. 10, p. 56 (1858) ; Gitrney, Ibis, 1859, p. 251 [Natal] ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 336 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 352 (1867) ; Gurney, pi Anderssons B. Damaral. p. 341 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 105, 1876, p. 433, 1880, p. 273 ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 391 ; Oakley, Trans. S. A. Phil. Soc. ii, p. 50 (1881) ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zbol. 1882, p. 427 ; Holab d Pelzeln, Or7i. Siid-Afr. p. 330 (1882) ; SharjJe, ed. .Layard' s B. 8. Afr. p. 756 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglinyton, SjJortsin. S. A. p. 124, pi. xii, fig. 61 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 407 (1893) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 213 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 172 (1896).; Woodward Bros. Ibis, 1898, p. 222 ; id. Natal B. p. 210 (1899) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 115 (1900) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 237 ; Sharjpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 18 [Deelfontein] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 207. " Edada" of Amaxosa and Zulus, a name also applied to other species. Description. Adult Male. — General colour very dark ashy- brown, almost black, somewhat p^Jer below, slightly freckled with greyish about the head and neck ; scapulars, tail-coverts and tail- feathers with a few white transverse bands ; speculum metallic greenish and purplish, formed by the outer webs of the inner secondaries, surrounded by a velvety black band which is again bordered in front and behind by a white band ; tail of 18 feathers which are rather long and broad. Iris dark brown ; bill slaty, stripe down the culmen, tip and two patches on either side of stripe black ; lower mandible yellow ; legs orange yellow, webs black. Length (in the flesh) 23-0; wing 9*5; tail 5*0, tarsus 1-5; culmen 1-6 ; weight about 2 lbs. 8 oz. (Ayres). The female is like the male, but smaller ; length (in flesh) 20 ; wing 9'0 ; tarsus 1-25 ; culmen 1*5 ; weight 2 lbs. 6 oz. (Ayres). ANSERES ANAS 137 DistribiUion. — The range of the Black Duck is restricted to Eastern and Southern x\frica, from Abyssinia southwards to Cape Colony. It does not reach West Africa except Angola, where it has once been procured by M. de Sousa. In South Africa this duck, though never very abundant, is widely spread throughout Cape Colony, Natal, the Transvaal and Khodesia, but hitherto it has not been noticed in German South-west Africa except at its extreme southern limits. It appears to be a resident in some districts and a migrant in others ; its movements are probably irregular. The following are localities : — Cape Colony — Knysna, July, August (Victorin), Port EUzabeth (Rickard) East London, throughout the year (Wood), St. John's River in Pondoland, summer (Shortridge), Buffalo River at King Williams Town (Trevelyan arid Pym),Grahamstown (Bt.Mus.),Deelfontein, April (Seimund), Orange River near Upington, November (Bradshaw), near Aliwal (White- head), Hartz River near Taungs (Holub) ; Natal — Durban (Ay res), Umbilo River near Pinetown, January (Stark), Maritzburg, May (Buckley), Ingagane River near Newcastle, June, July (Reid), Umkusi River in Zululand (Woodward) ; Basutoland common in mountain streams (Murray) ; Transvaal — near Pretoria (Buckley), Potchefstroom, March, April, and Lydenburg (Ayres) ; Bechuana- land — Botletli River (Bryden) ; Rhodesia — near Victoria (W. L. Sclater) ; German South-west Africa — Great Fish River in Southern Namaqualand (Andersson). Habits.— The Black Duck is a somewhat solitary species usually seen in pairs or occasionally in small family parties, but never in large flocks. It is essentially a river bird, where these conditions prevail, though in the neighbourhood of Deelfontein, where it is said to be not uncommon, it must make its home on the vleis and dams, as there are no rivers in the neighbourhood. It is somewhat nocturnal in its habits, lying hidden as a rule during the day and issuing forth in the evening. It feeds on grass seeds and probably also on water insects and Crustacea, and has a loud quack. When disturbed it rises heavily, like a Pochard, but more often skulks under the reeds along the river beds and endeavours to conceal itself. Though easily tamed and bearing captivity well this Duck seems to have seldom reached Europe alive, and has never been exhibited in the Zoological Gardens of London. Little has been recorded about the breeding habits of this species ; the Woodwards state that it nests in thick reeds and lays ^n 138 ANSERES NETTION five or six eggs, and that the young remain with the parents for some time after they are hatched. Colonel Bowker sent eggs to Mr. Layard taken near Maseru in Basutoland in November. These were laid in a nest made in a hollow of rotten wood forming a mass of drift under a willow tree overhanging the banks of the Caledon Eiver; the nest was lined with down from the bird's own breast and contained five eggs ready to hatch ; they resembled those of A. undulata and measured 25 x 1-75. Mr. Pym found a nest containing six eggs in a similar position in a mass of drift under a willow tree on the banks of the Buffalo Eiver near King Williams Town in February. Genus VIII. NETTION. Type, Nettion, Kaup, Natilrl. Syst. p. 95 (1829) N. crecca. This genus, containing the Common Teal and some other allied species, hardly differs from Anas. The bill is narrower and shorter, the size is smaller, and the number of tail-feathers is less — 14 to 16 as a rule. Salvadori places fifteen species in this genus of cosipopolitan distribution. Two of these are residents in South Africa, a third is confined to Madagascar, while the Common Teal of Europe (N. crecca) reaches as far south as Abyssinia during the northern winter. The key of the South African species is given under the head of the previous genus, p. 133. ) 621. Nettion capense. Cape Widgeon. Anas capensis, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 527 (1788) ; Pelz. Novara Reise, Vogel, p. 138 (1865); Salvadori, P. Z. S. 1884, p. 172, pi. 13; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 120 (1900). Querquedula capensis, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mus. p. 37 (1837) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 758 (1884) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p 172 (1896) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 238. Mareca capensis, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 351 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 76 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 302 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 339 (1872) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 349, 405 (1893). Nettion capense, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii. p. 259 (1895). " Teal-eendje" of the Dutch. Description. Adult. — Head, neck and cheeks whitish, with dark ashy centres to the feathers on the back and sides, nearly pure white on the chin ; mantle, back, upper tail-coverts and scapulars ANSERES NETTION 139 dark ashy, broadly margined with white or fulvous ; below, the white predominatiug and only the centres of the feathers ashy ; primaries and median and lesser coverts of the wings ashy-brown ; anterior secondaries pure white; a metallic green and purple speculum formed by the outer webs of the middle secondaries bounded broadly above and narrowly below by a velvety black band and towards the top of the wing by the broad white tips of the greater coverts. Iris yellow ; bill crimson, base and edge of the upper mandible black ; feet dirty yellow. Length 18*5 ; wing 8-5 ; tail 2-75 ; culmen 1-5 ; tarsus 1-25. The sexes are alike. Distribution. — The Cape Widgeon, though known from the earliest period of systematic zoology, appears to be everywhere a scarce bird and to have been but seldom met with ; its range extends from Cape Colony northwards through Nyasaland and Uganda to Shoa. In South Africa it has not been hitherto met with in the eastern portion of the Colony, Natal or Ehodesia. The following are recorded localities : — Cape Colony — Cape division, Knysna, Vogel vlei in Paarl division, Beaufort West (Layard), near Simons Town (Novara Expedition), Orange River near AHwal North, May (Whitehead) ; Transvaal — August (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Botletli River (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa, scarce generally but common at Walvisch Bay (Andersson), Reheboth, December (Fleck). Habits. —Nothing appears to be known about the habits of this species ; it is probably frequently confused with the " Smee Eendje or Red -bill, which it resembles in the colour of its bill, but from which it can be distinguished at a glance by its metallic-green speculum and by its spotted cheeks. Mr. Layard found a nest containing one egg, probably belonging to this species, at Vogel vlei in the Paarl division. The egg was a dirty greenish-white throughout and measured 1*80 X 1-5. 622. Nettion punctatum. Hottentot Teal. Anas punctata, Burchell, Travels, i, p. 283 (1822) ; Newton, P. Z. S. 1871, p. 649 ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 120 (1900). Querquedula hottentota, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mns. p. 37 (1837) ; id. Illiistr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 105 (1845) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1862, p. 154, 1868, pp. 262, 471 [Natal and Potchefstroom] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 353 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1880, p. 273 ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 427 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S, Afr. p. 757 (1884) ; Nicolls 140 ANSERES NETTION and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 128, pi. xii, fig. 65 (1892) ; Bnjden Gun and Camera, p. 407 (1898). Nettion hottentota, Giumey, in Andersson's B. Dainaral. p. 340 (1872). Anas hottentota, Fleclc, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 381. Nettion punctatum, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 265 (1895) ; W. L. Sclater, Ibis, 1899, p. 115 [Inhambane] ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 172 (1902). Querqnedula punctata, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 172 (1896). Description. Adult male. — Crown very dark brown, sharply- defined from the whitish sides of the face and throat by a clearly marked line running from the base of the bill below the eye ; sides of the neck white, thickly mottled with black ; mantle, breast and under parts light brown of a fawny tioge, spotted with blackish- brown centres to the feathers, which become on the middle of the abdomen and under tail-coverts a mottling and barring ; middle of the back and tail-feathers black, sides and upper and under tail-coverts finely mottled fawn and black; wings bronzy-green, the primaries and their coverts black ; secondaries bright green on the outer web, forming the speculum, largely tipped with white, and with a sub- terminal black band dividing the green and white ; under wing- coverts black, the longer ones and the axillaries white. Iris black ; bill along the culmen black, the triangular portion at the sides below the nostrils turquoise, lower mandible leaden, legs turquoise inclining to leaden. Length (in flesh) 14 ; wing 6 ; tail 2-50 ; culmen 1-45 ; tarsus 1-0. The female resembles the male, but is somewhat duller in colour ; the young bird is fawn coloured below without spots or bars. Distribution. — The Hottentot Teal is found in North-east and South Africa, extending from Shoa through Uganda and Nyasaland to Cape Colony. It also occurs in Madagascar and Southern Angola. In South Africa it is by no means common, though apparently rather widely spread, but it has not hitherto been recorded from Ehodesia or the Zambesi Valley. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Zak Kiver, in Fraser- burg division, September (Burchell, type), 100 miles north-west of Cape Town,^.e., Verloren Ylei in Piquetberg ? (Smith), Port Elizabeth, rare (Brown) ; Natal— near Newcastle, November (Butler), Basuto- land (Bowker in S. A. Mus.) ; Transvaal— Potchefstroom, common, November (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Okavango and Lake Ngami, July, August (Fleck), BotletH River (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa— Omanbonde (Andersson), only in rainy season (Fleck) ; Portuguese East Africa— Inhambane, September (Francis). ANSERES PCECILONETTA 141 Habits.-— This, the smallest of South African Ducks, is found singly or in pairs, in lagoons, but little is known of its habits as it appears to be everywhere a scarce bird. There are two eggs of this species in the British Museum, obtained by Andersson, in Ovampoland ; they are described as oval in shape, smooth, moderately glossy, and of a pale cream colour. They measure 1*7 x 1*3. Genus IX. PCECILONETTA. Fadciloniitei, Eyton, Mon. Anat. 1^, 32 {1S38) P. bahamensis. This genus is also very closely aUied to Anas, from which it differs chiefly in the colour of the speculum, which is a fawn or salmon colour, the narrow black band at its base perhaps represent- ing the metallic speculum of Aims. Three species are assigned to this genus by Salvadori ; two of them from South America and the Galapagos Isles respectively, the third from Africa. This last species is included in the key on p. 133. \^^ 623. Pcecilonetta erythrorhyncha. Bed-hill.''^ ^J ^ Anas erythrorhyncha, Gmel., Syst. Nat. i, p. 517 (1788) ; Burchell, Travels, i, p. 283, ii, p. 846 (1822-4) ; Pelz., Novara Beise, Vdg.,-p. 138 (1865) ; Layarcl, B. S. Afr. p. 351 (1867) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 405 (1893) ; id. Nat. and Sport, p. 42 (1897) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 380 ; Reiclienow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 118 (1900). Querquedula erythrorhyncha, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mus. p.' 36 (1837) ; Hohib Sj^ Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 330 (1882). Pcecilonetta erythrorhyncha, Smith, Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 104 (1845) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1859, p. 251, 1861, p. 134, 1862, p. 158, 1868, p. 471 [Natal and Transvaal] ; id. in Andersson' s B. Damaral. p. 339 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1880, p. 272 ; Oates, Mafabeleland,p. 328 (1881); Butler, Feilden ^^ Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 427; Sharpe, ed. Layard's ^. S. Afr. p. 754 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 126, pi. xii, fig. 62 (1892) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 285 (1895) ; Shellei/, B. Afr. i, p. 172 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 211 (1899); Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 269; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 443 ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 174 (1902) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 238. " Smee Eendje" of the Dutch; the word Smee is sometimes used in East Angha for the Widgeon ; " Semto Letata " of Basutos (Murray). 142 ANSERES PCECILONETTA Description. Adult male. — Crown and nape dark brown, separated from the white cheeks and throat by a very distinct line of demarcation running below the eye ; neck mottled brown and dirty white ; rest of the upper surface brown, all the feathers distinctly edged with a pale salmony pink ; wings brown like the back, the inner secondaries salmony pink on the outer web, forming a speculum, their bases black and the tips of their coverts pink, thus forming two bands along the upper side of the speculum ; below white, most of the feathers, especially those of the breast, flanks and under tail- coverts with subterminal semicircular spots of ashy- black ; under wing-coverts ashy-black, some of the inner ones and the axillaries banded black and white, Tris hazel ; bill pink w^ith a brownish stripe down the centre ; legs dirty grey. Length (in flesh) 19 ; wing 8*5 ; tail 3-0 ; culmen 1-55 ; tarsus 1-35. The female resembles the male in plumage and dimensions. Distribution. — The Red-bill has a very similar range to the Hottentot Teal, being spread over South and East Africa from Abyssinia to Cape Colony, up to South Angola on the west; it is also found in Madagascar. It is, after the Yellow-bill perhaps, the commonest of all the South African Ducks, being met with almost everywhere, and being apparently a resident in most parts of our area. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Cape division (S. A. Mus. and Novara Expedition), Port Elizabeth, common (Brown), Grahamstown (Brit. Mus.), King WiUiams Town, after rain (Trevelyan), Zak River in Fraserburg, September, Kuruman, July (Burchell),' Orange River, near Upington, January (Bradshaw), near Aliwal North (Whitehead), Woodhouse Kraal, Mafeking division (Bryden); Natal — Conzella, near Durban (Gordge), near Maritzburg (Fitzsimmons), Newcastle district (Butler) ; Orange River Colony — Vredefort Road, February (B. Hamilton), Basutoland, very common (Murray) ; Transvaal — Limpopo River (Holub), Potchefs- troom, June, March (Ayres), Boksburg and Krugersdorp (Gil- fillan) ; Bechuanaland — Nocana, July (Fleck), Botletli River (Bryden) ; Rhodesia — Upper Zambesi (Holub), Ramaqueban River, March, November (Oates), near Salisbury common (Mar- shall) ; German South-west Africa, common throughout (Andersson and Fleck) ; Zumbo on the Zambesi, November (Alexander). Habits. — The Red-bill haunts vleis and pans, and also the ANSERES SPATULA 143 stagnant lagoons lying alongside so many African rivers, but is- seldom met with on the rivers themselves. It is generally seen in small flocks of from eight to ten individuals, and is by no means uncommon ; most observers state that it is not a very shy bird, and add that it is excellent eating. It usually makes its nest among the thick rushes on the border of a vlei ; sometimes the nest is actually floating in the water ; it is constructed of sedge and usually lined with down and fine feathers ; the eggs are from eight to ten in number and are described by Fitzsim- mons as of a light greenish-white colour ; examples preserved in the South African Museum and obtained some years ago by Mr. Jackson are creamy-brown and glossy ; they are fairly oval in shape and measure 2-0 x 1*55. Andersson found eggs in February and March at Ondonga, Fitzsimmons near Maritzburg ; it probably breeds throughout the country. Examples of this species have been imported into Europe and have bred in the Zoological Gardens in London. Genus X. SPATULA. Type. Spatula, Boie, Isis, 1822, p. 564 S. clypeata. Bill very large and spatulate ; far exceeding the length of the head ; width of the upper mandible towards the tip nearly twice that at the base ; culmen nearly straight and flat ; nail narrow and small ; lamellae along the edge of the upper mandible closely set and elongated ; wings long and pointed, the first and second primaries longest and subequal ; upper wing-coverts pale blue ; tail of 14 feathers, which are somewhat narrow and pointed, especially the central pair, which project somewhat ; tarsus short, about equal to the inner toe and shorter than the other two, with a row of scutes in front ; hind toe small, with a very narrow lobe. This genus is cosmopoHtan in range and includes four species ; two of which, one a resident, the other a very rare migrant from the north, are found in South Africa. Key of the Species. A. Head and neck glossy green S. clypeata, <^ p. 144. B. Head and neck fulvous, thickly spotted with brown. 144 ANSERES SPATULA a. Tail-feathers white and fulvous with brown centres S.cli/peata, $ p. 144 h. Tail-feathers dark brown with slightly paler edges only S. caiicnsis, p. 145. \<^ ^ 624. Spatula clypeata. European Shoveller. Anas clypeata, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 200 (1766). Spatula clypeata, Dresser, B. Eur, vi, p. 497, pi. 425 (1873) ; Fairbridge, Ibis, 1893, p. 153; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 306 (1895); Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 110 (1900). Description. Adult Male. — Head and upper part of the neck dark glossy green ; lower neck, outer scapulars, breast and sides of the tail pure white ; mantle and middle of the back dark brown with paler edges to the feathers ; rump and upper tail-coverts black, glossed with green ; tail-feathers white, freckled with brown, the centre ones almost entirely brown ; primaries, primary coverts, tips of the secondaries and inner webs of the scapulars brown, the lesser and median coverts and the inner web of the outer scapulars pale blue ; a median line of white divides the blue from the brown on the scapulars, the last row of coverts tipped with white forming a band along the front of the glossy metallic green speculum formed by the outer web of the outer secondaries ; below the lower breast and abdomen is rich chestnut somewhat freckled with black on the latter, the under tail-coverts are black glossed with green. Iris orange-red ; bill lead colour ; feet reddish-orange. Length 21*5 ; wing 10-0 ; tail 3-25 ; culmen 3*0 ; tarsus 1"3. The female is brown above, each feather with a pale reddish border, the feathers of the back and rump, the scapulars and upper tail-coverts with concentric buff or rufous bands ; wing-coverts grey to greyish -brown, speculum duller than in the male, lower parts brownish-buff, more rufous on the abdomen, speckled with dark brown on the fore neck ; crescentic brown bars on the breast and flanks less strongly marked on the lower abdomen and tail- coverts, tail fulvous and white with brown centres to the feathers. Iris brown ; bill and upper mandible dark brown, lower mandible dull orange ; wing 8.75. Young males are like the female ; the male assumes the female plumage except so far as the wings are con- cerned after the breeding season. Distribution —The, Shoveller is a bird of the Northern Hemis- phere breeding throughout Europe, Northern Asia and North ANSERES SPATULA 145 America as far south as 68° N. Lat. It migrates southward iir thti northern winter to Africa, southern Asia and central and northern South America, including the West Indies. In x\frica it is a regular visitor as far as Abyssinia, south of which it has only once been procured, so far as I am aware. In the Ibis for 1893 Mr. W. G. Fairbridge states that a single male was brought to him in the flesh by Mr. J. C. Gie, which had been shot by his herd on September 11, 1893, at Kiet Ylei, about eight miles from Cape Town. This specimen, which is a male in nearly full breeding plumage, is now preserved in the South African Museum. Mr. Fairbridge adds that a few days previously he had himself seen a Duck with a white breast which he forbore to shoot at, thinking it was a domesticated bird. On its rising, however, he perceived his mistake, and fired at it, but without effect. )3/ 625. Spatula capensis. Cape Shoveller. Ehynchaspis capensis, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mas. p. 36 (1837) ; id. Illusir. Zool. S. Afr., Aves, pi. 98 (1844) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 354 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 50 [Natal and Transvaal] ; Layard, Ibis, 1869, p. 377 ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 407 (1893). Spatula capensis, Giirney in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 341 (1872) ; . Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 428 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 759 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 128, pi. xii, fig. 66 (1892) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 318 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 173 (1896) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. Ill (1900) ; Oates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 178 (1902). " Slop " of Colonists. Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head dark brown speckled with fulvous, sides of the head and neck pale fulvous slightly spotted with black; breast, mantle, upper scapulars and back, dark brown with U or V shaped bars of fulvous ; lower back, upper tail-coverts and tail black, outer tail-feathers with paler edges ; primaries and their coverts blackish ; median and lesser coverts to the edge of the wing and innermost scapulars pale blue, tips of one or two of the outermost secondary coverts white, forming a patch above the speculum, which is metallic green, inner secondaries a bluish green, darker than the speculum ; below fulvous brown with darker brown spots and bars giving a mottled appearance ; under tail coverts darker. Iris lemon yellow ; bill deep reddish-brown to black ; legs ochraceous yellow, webs a little darker at the edges. Length 20-5 ; wing 10-15 ; tail 3*5 ; culmen 2-4 ; tarsus 1'4. 10 VOL. i\. 146 ANSERES NYROCA The female resembles that of S. chjijeata but has the tail very dark brown with irregular rufescent bars. Distribution. — The Caps Shoveller is apparently coofined to South Africa, extending to Angola in the west. Lefebre stated that he met with this species many years ago in Abyssinia, but it has not been since procured there nor has it been observed in the intervening countries. Fig. 42. — Head of Spatula capcnaca. x 2" In South Africa this Duck is by no means common. It has not been found in Ehodesia or on the Zambesi, and it is rare in the Transvaal and in German Territory. The following are recorded localities: — Cape Colony — Cape division, July (S. A. Mus.), November (Layard), Verloren vlei in Piquetberg, Berg Kiver, Vogel vlei in Paarl, Knysna (Layard), Port Elizabeth (Rickard), Queens- town (Griffith apud Layard) ; Natal — Durban (Ayres in Bt. Mus.), Newcastle, September (Butler) ; near Mafeteng in Basuto- land (Murray) ; Transvaal (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Botletli Eiver (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa — rare, but extending north to Okavango (Andersson). Habits. — No one has made any observations worth recording on the habits of this bird. Layard received eggs taken by Mr. Kotze on the Berg River, which he described as a delicate cream colour tinged with green and measuring 2-16 x 1*5. These are probably the same as those described in the British Museum Catalogue. Genus XL NYROCA. Type. ^yrocSiyFlem. Phil. Zool. ii, p. 260(1822) N. africana. Bill about as long as the head, rather broad but the same width throughout its length, culmen shghtly concave ; lamellae along the margin of the mandibles not projecting or conspicuous ; nail broad ANSERES NYROCA 147 but not pointed; wings rounded, the lirst and second primaries, which are the longest, hardly exceeding the longest secondaries ; no speculum ; tail of fourteen feathers short and graduated ; the feathers normal and rounded at the tips ; tarsus very short, less than the inner toe ; hind toe well developed and with a broad lobe posteriorly. This Genus contains some eight species of Diving Ducks commonly known as Pochards, distributed all over the world. Only one species is found within our limits, though two, the common Pochard {N. ferina) and the White-eye {N. africana), both northern species, range as far south as Abyssinia in winter. 626. Nyroca erythrophthalma. Soitth African Pochard. Anas capensis (nee Gniel.) Lesson, Tr. (VOrn. p. 632 (1831). Anas erythrophthalma, Wied, Beitr. iv, p. 929 (1832). Fuligula capensis, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mas. p. 36 (1837) ; P. L. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1880, p. 526. Nyroca brumiea, Eyton, Mon. Anat. p. 161, pi. 23 (1838) ; StricMand and Sclater, Contrib. Ornith. 1852, p. 160; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 355 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 266 ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 404 (1893) ; id. Nat. and Sport, p. 43 (1897) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 351 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 173 (1896). Fuligula bruunea, Gurney, Ibis, 1864, p. 355 [Natal]. Aythya capensis, Gurney, in Anderssons B. Damaral. p. 342 (1872) ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 428 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 760 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglinton, Sports. S. A. p. 129 (1892j. 148 ANSERES NYROCA Nyroca erythrophthalma, Salvadori, Ibis, 1896, p. 99 ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 211 (1899). Nyroca capensis, Beiclienow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 108 (1900). Aythya erythrophthalma, Oates, Cat. B. Eggs ii, p. 181 (1902) ; SharpCy Ibis, 1904, p. 18 [Deelfontem]. Description. Adult male. — General colour a rich dark brown, almost black on the head and nape ; the centre of the back, scapulars and upper wing-coverts very finely mottled with whitish ; wings like the back, but the bases of the primaries and of the secondaries white, the latter forming a speculum bounded posteriorly by the brown tips, which form a band in the closed wing ; sides of the head and neck a rich chestnut brown ; a small but distinct triangular spot of white on the chin between the rami of the lower jaw, rest of the lower surface dark brown, becoming nearly black on the lower neck and chest, and more fulvous on the abdomen. Fig. 44. — Head of Nyroca erijthropUiliabna, d" . x .1 Iris orange yellow to red ; bill leaden blue with black tip ; legs blackish. Length 20-0 ; wing 8-75 ; tail 2-0 ; tarsus 1-25 ; culmen 1-75. The female is a good deal lighter in colour and has no freckling, the sides of the, head, neck and throat white, except for a round patch below the eye, which is brown ; the rest of the lower surface from the chest to the under tail-coverts is mottled white and fulvous brown, the fulvous more or less in narrow transverse bands. Iris brown, bill leaden, feet black ; size about the same ; wing 8-5. DlstribiUion. — This Pochard is found throughout East and South .Africa from Abyssinia and Shoa to Cape Colony and extending north ANSERES NYROCA 149 on the west to Angola ; furthermore, if (as is here accepted) Salvadori's recent identifications are proved to be correct, in South AmericaVin" Southern Brazil and Peru. In South Africa, this Duck, though never very abundant, is found throughout the greater portion of the country, even on the Karoo, where conditions hardly seem favourable. It appears to be generally met with in summer from September to December, and is probably a breeding migrant. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Berg Eiver, breeding September, Zoetendals Vlei in Bredasdorp, November (Layard), Cape division, September, Knysna, November (S. A. Mus.), Port Elizabeth, very rare (Brown), Kleinmont Eiver in Bathurst (Ather- stone), Deelfontein in Eichmond division, September, rare (Seimund), Woodhouse Kraal in Mafeking division (Bryden) ; Natal — Sea CoW Lake near Durban, November (Ayres), near Howick (Burges), Newcastle, September to October, breeding (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Ehenoster Eiver, May (Ayres in Bt. Mus.), near Mafeteng in Basutoland (Murray) ; Transvaal — Marico (Barratt), near Potchefstroom (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Ngami (Nicolls), Botletli (Bryden) ; Ehodesia — Upper Zambesi (Bradshaw in Bt. Mus.), Feira, north-east Ehodesia (Stoehr) ; German South-west Africa — near Barmen, Ondonga, common, breeding February (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Inhamban, December (Francis in S. A. Mus.). Habits. — All the Pochards are essentially divers, obtaining their food by diving entirely beneath the water, and not as the true Ducks do, merely searching in shallow water with the posterior half of the body vertically projecting. There is little to say about this species. It is generally found about the larger rivers and near the sea, though sometimes met with far inland. It is wary and wild, and has a more rapid flight than some of the other Ducks ; it dives well. It was found nesting on the Berg Eiver in September by Mr. Layard, who states that the eggs were from five to eight in number. Three of these are still preserved in the South African Museum ; they are broad, almost regular ovals, smooth and moderately glossy, of a pale creamy white colour, and measure 2*3 x IGo. Eggs obtained by Andersson at Ondonga in February are pre- served in the British Museum ; judging by the description given they are rather smaller and darker in colour than those I have examined. 150 ANSEEES THALASSORNIS Genus XTL THALASSORNIS. Type. Thalassornis, Eyton, Mon. Anat. p. 70 (1838) T. leuconota. Bill short and stumpy, its depth at the base more than half its length ; the sides about parallel ; culmen nearly straight ; nostrils small and rounded ; nail very large, vertically down-turned and pointed ; a nuchal crest ; wings short and rounded, the first three primaries curiously attenuated for their distal third ; tail of 12 feathers, short, about a quarter the length of the wing but project- ing well beyond the coverts ; the feathers narrow and stiff; tarsus very short, about half the length of the middle toe ; hind toe with a very broad lobe. Only the single species here described, confined to South and East Africa, is referred to this genus. 73-^ 627. Thalassornis leuconota. White-backed Duck. Clangula leiiconotus, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mus. p. 37 (1837) ; id. lUusfr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 107 (1846). Thalassornis leiiconotus, Eyton, Monoc/r. Anat. p. 168 (1838) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1861, p. 134, 1862, p. 39 [Natal] ; Pelzeln, Novara Beise, Vogel, p. 139 (1865); Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 356 (1867); Gurney in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 343 (1872) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1874, p. 105 ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 428 ; Sharped, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 761 (1884) ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 836 ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 124, pi. xii, fig. 68 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 407 (1893); Fleck, Jonrn. Ornith. 1894, p. 381; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 436 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 173 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 212 (1899); Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i,p. 106 (1900) ; Hellmayr, Jonrn. Ornith. 1902, p. 236 [Pienaars River] ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 575, 581 ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs, ii, p. 192 (1902). Description. Adult. — Crown of the head, nape, sides of the face and throat black, the black mingled with ochraceous yellow on the sides of the face and neck ; a spot at the base of the upper mandible and gape on either side whitish ; sides and front of the lower neck rich fulvous yellow ; general colour above and below fulvous and black, mottled and barred, palest in the middle of the breast where the bars are almost absent ; centre of the back pure white, upper tail- coverts black tipped with white ; tail-feathers stiff, narrow and projecting, brown edged with fulvous; primaries plain dark brown, no speculum. Iris dark brown ; bill blue and slate ; lower mandible yellowish ; feet dark brown. ANSERES THALASSOENIS 151 Length 17-0 ; wing 7-75; tail 20; tarsus 1-25; culmen 1-75. The sexes are alike ; young birds are less ochraceous and more brown on the abdomen. Distribution. — The White-backed Duck is confined to Africa and Madagascar. It ranges from Abyssinia on the east and from Loango on the west, southwards through East Africa and Nyasaland to Cape Colony. Within our limits it is widely spread where suitable conditions exist but it has not yet been met with in Khodesia or on the Zambesi, though probably to be found there. The following are localities : — Cape Colony — Verloren Vlei in Piquetberg, (Smith, type). Cape division (S. A. Mus.), Simonstown (Novara), Port ■ Fig. 45.^-Head of Tlialassornis leiiconota. x \ EHzabeth, rare (Brown), Vaalpens Pan near Mafeking (Nicolls and Eglington) ; Natal — Clairmont near Durban, breeding November to February (Millar), Newcastle district, September to October, breed- ing (Butler and Feilden) ; Orange Kiver Colony — Kroonstad, March (Symonds) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom rare (Ayres), Pienaars River Bridge in Pretoria district, April (Penther), Modderfontein, breeding, April (Haagner) ; Bechuanaland — Tebra county, February (S. A. Mus.), Nocana, July (Fleck), Botletli River (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa — generally scarce, but common at Oman- bonde and Ondonga (Andersson). Habits. — This Duck is found on lagoons and about the mouths of rivers and also inland on the larger pans and rivers, as a rule singly or in pairs. It seldom flies, but nearly always dives into shelter when disturbed. Most observers say that it has almost lost the power of flight and is only able to skim along the surface of the water, but Ayres states that it rises easily and flies well. The flesh is very oily and unpalatable, 152 ANSERES ERISMATUKA Mr. A. D. Millar writes to me that he has visited several nests in a vlei at Clairmont close to Durban. The first, found on Novem- ber 24, 1901, contained two fresh eggs ; it was composed of rushes and was floating in about three feet of water, while above the nest the rushes were arched over for concealment. Others found on December 14, 1901 and February 16, 1902, contained four, three and five eggs. Butler found the nest of this Duck under very similar circumstances in the Newcastle district of Natal in September. The eggs found by Mr. Millar, two of which he has presented to the South African Museum, are perfectly smooth and glossy and of a warm brown colour throughout ; they are nearly regular ovals and measure 27 x 1'9 and 2*6 x 1*95 respectively. On the other hand, those obtained by Butler, now in the British Museum, are described as being rough, granulated, with little gloss and of a pale greenish white colour. They measure 2*6 x 2-0 and 2-55 x 2-0 respectively. Mr. Millar tells me that though he did not actually see the Ducks sitting on the eggs, the birds, which he knows well, were in the immediate vicinity, and that he found their feathers in the nests themselves and that he is quite satisfied as to the identification. Possibly Butler's eggs were those of the Maccoa Duck. Genus XIII. ERISMATURA. Type. Erismatura, Bp., Sagg. Distr. Met. An. p. 143 (1832) E. jamaicensis. Bill similar to that of Thalassornis but the culmen slightly concave and the nail bent downwards and inwards, forming an acute angle wdth the line of the culmen ; lamellae along the edge of the upper mandible coarse and somewhat visible ; no nuchal crest ; wings short and rounded, not reaching the base of the tail, the primaries hardly exceeding the secondaries in length ; tail of 18 feathers which are narrow, stiff, graduated and very long, being about half the length of the wnng ; tarsus and foot as in Thalassornis. Salvadori in the British Museum Catalogue includes seven species in this genus ; they are generally distributed over the greater part of the Old ar^d New Worlds. Only the single African species is found within our limits. AN SERES EKISMATURA 628. Erismatura maccoa. Maccoa DitcJc. 153 Oxyura maccoa, Smith, Cat. S. A. Mas. p. 37 (1837) ; id. III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pis. 108, 109 (1847). Erismatura maccoa, Eyton, Monogr. Anat. p. 169 (1838) ; Layarcl, B. 8. Afr. p. 356 (1867) ; Ay res, Ibis, 1869, p. 302; Sharjje, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 762 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, SjJortsm. S. A. p. 125, pi. xii, fig. 67 (1892) ; Salvador i, Cat. B. M. xxvii, p. 448 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 174 (1896) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 105 (1900) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 18 [Deelfontein] . Fig. 46. — Tail of Erismatura maccoa. Description. Adult Male. — Head and the upper part of the neck black, lower neck, breast and most of the upper surface rich chestnut ; wings except the least coverts, centre of the lower back and tail (which is very long) very dark brown, centre of the lower breast and abdomen shading from chestnut to silvery-grey slightly mottled with black, the feathers having dark bases; under wing- coverts white with dark grey centres, axillaries pure white. Iris dark hazel ; bill blue black ; feet dark leaden blue. Length 18-5 ; wing 7-0 ; tail 3-25 ; culmen 1-5 ; tarsus 1-25. The female has the upper parts, including the crown and nape brown, minutely freckled with pale fulvous and grey, the primaries 154 ANSERES . ElilSMATUEA and tail feathers brown and unfreckled ; an indistinct white stripe from the base of the upper mandible below the eye almost to the nape, chin and throat also white ; below silvery grey mottled and barred with brown, darkest on the breast. A young bird has the head and neck slightly freckled with white and on the lower neck and upper parts the feathers are mostly brown and freckled, the pure chestnut gradually taking their places. Distribution. — The Maccoa is certainly the rarest of the South African Ducks. Smith, who first discovered it, obtained his speci- mens at Verloren Vlei, in the Piquetberg division, and at the mouth of the Orange Eiver ; it is occasionally met with on the Cape Flats near Cape Town. Mr. Layard mentions that it was particularly abundant there, together with the South African Pochard, in 1858 ; Fig. 47. —Head of Erismatura maccoa. x i he further states that Mr. Dumbleton shot an example at Victoria West, not very far from Deelfontein, where it has been recently procured by Colonel Sloggett's collectors, Messrs. Seimund and Grant. Outside Cape Colony Ayres shot an example on the Vaal Eiver near Potchefstroom in December, and there is another now in the South African Museum, a young female, obtained by Mr. Eriksson in the Tebra Country west of Lake Ngami in April, while Mr. Murray tells me he has shot a good many near Mafeteng in Basutoland. It has not yet been met with in Natal, Rhodesia or German South-west Africa. North of the Zambesi it reappears at Lake Naivascha, in British East Africa, and in Shoa in Southern Abyssinia. Habits.— ^miih. describes the Maccoa as an exceedingly shy bird, seldom venturing out of the shelter of the reeds and rushes when danger threatens. It swims very low in the water, only the top of its back showing ; it seldom or never takes to flight, but dives COLUMBiE 155 with great facility for a long time and for a very considerable distance. ~ ~ The example obtained by Ayres was shot in a lagoon alongside the Vaal Eiver ; it was constantly diving and did not attempt to fly ; the stomach contained water snails. Nothing is known of its eggs or nidification but I suspect that the eggs ascribed by Butler to the White-backed Duck were really those of this species, as they agree very closely with those of other members of the genus Erismatura, Order X. COLUMB^. The Pigeons form a well marked group, with no clearly well- defined relationships, except perhaps to the Sandgrouse (Pterocletes). They are birds of moderate size, with short legs and toes without a trace of a web ; the bill is very characteristic, the distal portion being slightly swollen and hard, and the proximal portion, in which the nostrils open, covered by a soft skin, forming what is called the cere ; there are eleven primaries ; the number of tail feathers varies from twelve to twenty ; the hallux, which is always present, is jointed on a level with the other toes. The young, when hatched, are naked and helpless, and are entirely dependent on their parents for a considerable time. Anatomical characters are : — Skull schizognathous and schizo- rhinal ; basipterygoid processes present ; angle of the mandible not produced behind its articulation with the quadrate ; no aftershaft to the feathers ; a \vell developed crop ; oil gland, if present, naked ; deep plantar tendons galHne (see Vol. III., p. 2, fig. 2b) ; caeca rudimentary when present ; two carotids ; ambiens muscle present or absent, the other four Garrodian muscles almost always present. The distinctions between the famihes and subfamilies of this Order, as usually recognised, are not of very fundamental impor- tance. Only two families are here recognised, one containing the so-called Green Pigeons, the other the rest of the South African representatives of this Order. Key of the Genera. A. Fourteen tail-feathers ; plumage green and yellow Vinago,^. 156, B. Twelve tail-feathers ; plumage never green and yellow. . 156 TKEKONID^. VINAGO ((. Tarsus shorter than the middle toe (without claw). «'. No metallic sheen on the hind neck, sexes alike Cohimha, p. 160. ?>'. Metallic sheen on the hind neck ; sexes dissimilar Turturoena, p. 164. b. Tarsus equal to or longer tharn the middle toe without claw. a^. No metallic sheen on the back ; no metallic spots on the wings Turtur, p. 166. b^. Metallic spots on the wings and scapulars. a-. Tail long and much graduated, the outer feathers less than half the middle ones... (Ena, p. 174. b-. Tail normal, shorter than the wing and slightlj" rounded. a^. First primary attenuated at the tip Ty7n2)anistria,-p.ni . b^. First primary normal Chalcopelia, p. 180. c^. No metallic spots, but the hind neck and breast suffused with a metallic sheen HapJopelia, p. 182. Family I. TRERONID^. Usually fourteen tail feathers ; general plumage green ; no ambiens muscle, oil gland or caeca. Genus I. YINAGO. Type. Yinago, Cuvier, Begne Anim. i, p. 457 (1817) V. waalia. Bill somewhat stout and slightly hooked, soft basal portion occupying about half its length ; wings pointed, the first and third primaries only slightly falling short of the second, which is the longest ; the third quill distinctly scooped out on the inner web ; tail of fourteen even feathers ; tarsus shorter than the middle toe and claw, feathered almost to the toe joints with yellow plumes ; soles of all the toes broad and widened out below ; plumage chiefly green. This, the only African genus of Green Pigeons, contains some eight species all confined to that Continent ; two, showing but superficial points of difference, are found in South Africa. TRERONID^. VINAGO 157 Key of the Species. m A. Below greenish with an olive tinge V. delalandii, p. 157. B. Below greenish with a yellowish tinge V. schaloiui, p. 159. Fig. 48. — Left foot of Vinago delalandii. x \l 629. Vinago delalandii. Delalande's Green Pigeon. Phalacrotreron delalandii, Bp. Consj). Av. ii, p. 6 (1854) ; id. Icon Pig. pi. 1 (1857) ; A^jres, Ibis, 1880, p. 109. Treron delalandii, Gurney, Ibis, 1862, p. 83 ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 255 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 164 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 83 ; Holub Si' PcUeln, Oni. Siid-Afr. p. 171 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 258 [Umfuli River], 1883, p. 270; Sharpe, ed. Layard' sB. S. Afr. p. 558 (1884) : Ayres, Ibis, 1885, p. 345 ; Bendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 174; Woodiuard Bros. Ibis, 1898, p. 217. Vinago delalandei, Salvador i, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 24 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 134 (1896) ; Soiuerby, Ibis, 1898, p. 575 ; Woodiuard Bros.^ Natal B. p. 128 (1899); Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 261; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 397 (1901) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 200. " Ijubantoto " of Natal Zulus. Description. Adult. — Hesid., neck and sides of the face olive green ; below the hind neck a broad collar of mauve-grey ; mantle, wings and tail bright grass-green, the wing-coverts and angle of the wing washed with vinaceous-pink ; wing-quills and most of the larger coverts black, narrowly edged with pale yellow; lateral tail feathers with the apical third distinctly paler green ; below ashy oHve-green mottled with bright yellow on the abdomen, the flank \^^^uu^^O^ ^ «::l^Ua>^-^^^P^ 158 TRERONID^ VINAGO feathers edged with white ; tarsal pkimes bright yellow ; under tail- coverts rufous-brown tipped and edged with white ; tail-feathers black below with the apical third white. Iris pale blue to greyish or greenish-white ; bill light bluish- horn ; cere bright scarlet ; tarsus and feet bright orange to vermilion. Length about 12-0; wing 6-5; tail 40; tarsus I'O ; culmen -90. The female resembles the male in plumage and dimensions. The young bird, according to Salvador!, has less vinaceous on the bend of the wing. Distribution. — Delalande's Green Pigeon is spread over Eastern and South Eastern Africa, extending from the neighbourhood of Mombasa through German East Africa and Nyassaland to the extreme east of Cape Colony. Fig. 49. — Head of Vinago delalandii. x \\ The following are the localities within our limits : Cape Colony — King William's Town and East London district, March and July (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, November (S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Pinetown, June and August (Ayres in Brit. Mus.) ; Transvaal — near Barberton (Kendall), Eustenburg, June and August (Ayres), Magaliesberg, -commoner in summer (Ayres); Ehodesia — Matopos, near Bulawayo (Tredgold), Umfuli Eiver, August, September (Ayres), Chiquaqua (Sowerby), near Feira on the Zambesi (Stoehr) ; Portuguese East Africa — Inhambane (Peters), Shupanga on the Zambesi (Kirk). Habits. — This Green Pigeon seems to be a partial migrant, making its appearance suddenly when the wild berries and fruits of certain trees, especially figs, on which it chiefly feeds, are ripen- ing. It is usually seen in small flocks, though occasionally found solitary. Owing to the colour of iLs plumage and to its habit of COLUMBID^ 159 frequenting tall and thickly-leaved trees, it is difficult to observe ; moreover, it sits very close, only dashing out with rapid flight at the. last moment. The Woodwards, however, found it very easy to shoot when feeding, and state that it is usually fat and very delicate eating. The note is a somewhat musical whistle, and is quite different to the cooing of other Pigeons. Ayres found a nest of this species in the Magaliesbergen of the Transvaal towards the end of November, 1882 ; it was composed of the usual layer of sticks, and was not more than ten feet from the ground ; it contained a well fledged young bird and an addled white Z f 630. Yinago shalowi. Shaloto's Green Pigeon. Phalacrotreron calva, Giirney {nee Temm.) in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 230 (1872). Treron shalowi, BeicJienoiv, Orn. Centralb. 1880, p. 108 [PKimberley] ; FlecJi, Journ. Ornitli. 1894, p. 388. Treron wakefieldi (part), SUarjpe, ed. LaycinVs B. S. Afr. p. 557 (1884). Vinago shalowi, Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 24 (1893); Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 134 (1896) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. I p. 399 (1901). DescrijJtion. Adult Female. — Resembling F. delalandii in most respects, but the olive-green of the head, neck and under parts is replaced by a bright yellowish-green, which is brightest and most yellow on the abdomen. Iris pale bluish ; bill greyish, bright red on the cere ; legs bright red. Length about 11-0 ; wing 65 ; tail 3-25 ; tarsus -90 ; culmen -85. Bistrihution. — The type of this species is said to have come from the neighbourhood of the Diamond Fields {i.e. Kimberley) ; other examples apparently identical have been recorded from Matabele- land (Gates), from Ondonga in the extreme north of German South- west Africa, and from Nocana on the Okavango River. The description is drawn up from an example recently added to the South African Museum, obtained at Livingstone, on the Zambesi, just above the Victoria Falls, in September, 1904. Family II. COLUMBID^. Usually 12 tail-feathers ; general colour of the plumage a shade of grey, not green ; ambiens, oil gland and caeca usually, but by no means invariably, present. 160 COLUMBID^ COLUMBA Genus. I. COLUMBA. Type. Columba, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 279 (1766) C. livia. Bill somewhat long and slender, the soft basal part swollen above the nostrils which are linear and horizontal ; wings pointed, the 1st primary always longer than the 6th ; tail of 12 feathers, of moderate length, usually about two thirds the length of the wing ; tarsus with the lower half at least, bare, shorter than the middle toe ; the soles of the toes (except that of the hind one) not so expanded as in the case of the previous genus. Fig. 50. — Left foot of Columha plKEOiiota The plumage is some shade of grey and some of the neck feathers are slightly acuminate. This genus, containing the Eock Pigeons and their allies, is widely spread, being found throughout the World. Of some ten African species only two are found within our area. Key of the Species. A. Larger, wing over 9 inches ; breast spotted with white; bill yellow C. arquatrix i^. l&d. B. Smaller, wing under 9 inches ; breast unspotted ; bill black C. ;phceonota ^. 1^0 ^yCKJ^)^^^^ (>^^;g^ 631. Columba phseonota.^ /SpecAjZedZ Ptgrco?t. Columba guinea, Gmel. Syst. Nat. i, p. 774 (1788) [in part] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 256 (1867) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 208 ; OaMey, Tran". S.A. Phil. Soc. ii, p. 49 (1881) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 388. Le Kamicr Eoussard, Levaill, Ois. cVAfr. vi, p. 70, pi. 265 (1808). Columba guineensis, Burchell, Travels,!, p. 501, ii, p. 257 (1822-4). /: COLUMBID^ COLUMBA 161 Columba phteonotus, G. B. Gray, List Bt. Mas. Columbae, j^. 32 (1856) ; Bucldei/, Ibis, 1874, p. 384 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1877, p. 345, 1880,^. 109 : Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 259 [Dry Harts River] ; BiUler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 337 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 279 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's, B. S. Afr. pp. 559, 854 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 268 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 135 (1896) ; Woodward, Bros, Ibis, 1898, p. 217 ; id. Natal B. p. 129 (1899) ; Beithenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 403 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 573, 579 ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 233 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 6 [Deelfontein] ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 200. Columba trigonera, Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 214, 1864, p. 359, 1868, p. 164. Stictoenas phaeonotus, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 231 (1872) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 83. " Bosch-duif " of the Dutch^ "Ivukutu" of Amaxosa (Stanford); " Leeba " of Basutos (Murray). Fig. 51. — Head ot Coluniba phcsonota. x |i Description. Adult. — Head and neck all round slaty-grey, all round the base of the neck a collar of pointed, somewhat outstand- ing feathers, chestnut brown with pinkish tips ; mantle and most of the inner coverts of the wing maroon, rest of the wings slaty like the head, most of the coverts with small triangular spots of white at their apices, giving the wing a speckled appearance ; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail slaty-grey like the head ; the tail-feathers with a broad terminal bar of black and traces of a subterminal bar as well ; below slaty-grey throughout except the collar and a wash of maroon just below it. Iris yellowish-white, sometimes with an outer ring of yellowish- red; bill black to ashy-brown; cere whitish-horn; naked space round the eye and legs crimson. Length (in flesh) 18'5; wing 8 5; tail 4-5 ; tarsus -95; culmen -80. The sexes are alike. A young bird is without the collar ; the back is chestnut rather than maroon and the white spots on the wings are 11 VOL. IV. 162 COLUMBID^ COLUMBA tinged with maroon and not nearly so conspicuous : the subterminal black band on the tail is well marked. Iris dirty white passing to cream colour, bill and bare skin cinereous ; legs reddish-brown. Distrihution. — This species is confined to South Africa, being represented in East, Central and West Africa by the very closely allied C. guinea^ which has a much paler grey or ashy-white rump. The Speckled Dove is found throughout the greater part of our area, though hitherto, so far as I am aware, it has not been noticed in Ehodesia. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Cape division, nest- ing (Layard), Paarl (Shelley), Caledou, March, and Swellendam (S. A. Mus.), Deelfontein, resident (Seimund), Orange Eiver near Aliwal North (Whitehead), Hay division (Burchell), Dry Harts Eiver in Vryburg (Ayres), Port Ehzabeth, nesting (Brown), East London (Eickard), Ibeka in Transkei (Oakley), Port St. John's, November (S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — Ifafa, breeding, and Upper Zululand (Woodward), Maritzburg (Ayres), Ingagane Elver (Butler) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Vredefort Eoad (B. Hamilton) Ficksburg, breeding August (Sparrow), Basutoland, common (Murray) ; Transvaal — Eustenburg, Pretoria and Potchefstroom (Barratt and Ayres), Modderfontein, breeding, March (Haaguer) ; German South-west Africa — Great Namaqualand and Damaraland (Andersson and Eleck). Habits. — The Speckled Pigeon appears in very large numbers on plough lands when the crops are getting ripe, and does a vast amount of harm pulling the green corn and also eating the grain when ripe. They are wary birds, and very strong on the wing, but afford good sport and are usually fat and well tasting. They roost as a rule on krantjes among the mountains, in the neighbourhood of which they are usually more abundant. The note closely resembles that of the domestic tame Pigeon, being a sonorous cooing ; the cock also bows to its mate in the same fashion. Layard found this bird breeding in large numbers in the caves along the shores of the Cape Peninsula ; he states " Some years ago we entered one of them in a boat and for the first time had the pleasure of seeing this fine Pigeon breeding in considerable numbers ; every ledge of the cave inside was tenanted by as many nests as could conveniently be stowed away, while the parent birds were continually arriving or departing on their busy task of feeding their young." Butler found nests on the ledges of the krantjes near the river Ingagane in Natal in July (midwinter) and also in October. COLUMBID^ COLUMBA 163 Oakley, while acknowledging that this Pigeon usually builds among the rocks, states that he found two nests in the hollows of a Kaffir boom (Erythrina) in the Transkei. The eggs are always two in number, glazy white, and nearly similar at both ends, measuring 14 X 1"0. There is a clutch of two eggs in the South African Museum taken by Major Sparrow near Fickburg in the Orange Eiver Colony on August 1, 1901, and another from Mooi River in Natal, taken on March 8, 1904. This bird is closely allied to the wild Eock Pigeon of Europe, from which all our domestic breeds are believed to have been ^ cf 632. Golumba arquatrix. Olive. Pigeon. Le Eameron, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. vi, p. 67, pi. 264 (1808). Columba arquatrix, Temm. Sj^ Knip, Pig. i, fam. sec. p. 11, pi. 5 (1808- 13) ; Grill, K. Vet. AJcad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 51 (1858) [Knysna] ; Gurnetj, Ibis, 1860, p, 213 [Durban] ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 257 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 459 ; Aijres, Ibis, 1876, p. 433, 1880, p. 109, 1885, p. 345 ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 276 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 135 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Ibis, 1898, p. 217 ; id. Natal B. p. 130 (1899) ; Beiclienoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 403 (1901) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 234. Palumbus arquatrix, Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 283 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 561 (1884). "Eameroon Pigeon" of some authors; " Oliven duif,"or, like the last species, "Bosch duif " of the Dutch; "Black Pigeon" of the Natal Colonists ; " Izuba " of the Amaxosa (Stanford). Description. Adult. — Front half of the crown and cheeks dark vinous purple ; occiput and nape silvery- slate ; hind neck with a series of somewhat pointed semi-erect vinous pink feathers with concealed black bases forming a collar ; mantle and upper half of the wings dark vinous purple, becoming slaty and darker on the greater coverts and quills ; a series of white rounded spots on the scapulars and lesser wing-coverts; rump dark slate shading into black on the tail coverts and feathers ; chin and throat vinous pink, the lower feathers with darker bases forming an incomplete trans- verse band ; breast darker, a vinous purple spotted with white ; abdomen and under tail-coverts slate. Iris yellow, bill, bare skin round the eye and legs yellow. Length about 15-5; wing 9-25; tail 6*0; culmen -9 ; tarsus 1*10; weight 16-17 oz. (Ayres). The female is slightly smaller and duller in colour ; in the young 164 COLUMBID^ TURTURCENA bird the head is mixed grey and purple, and the back is more or less brown. Distribution. — The Olive Pigeon is a bird of the forest and is found only along the southern coast of the Colony from Knysna through the Eastern Province to Natal and Zululand ; stragglers occasionally reach the neighbourhood of Cape Town and it is common in parts of the Transvaal, but has not yet been noticed in German South-west Africa or Ehodesia. Beyond our limits it extends through Nyasaland and East Africa, to Shoa and Abyssinia, and has also been obtained in Angola. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division, June (Layard and S. A. Mus.), George (Atmore), Knysna, November and December (le Vaillant, Victorin and Layard), East London (Eickard), Peri Forest near Kmg William's Town (Tre- velyan), Sunday Eiver and Pondoland (Berlin Mus.), Orange Eiver near Aliwal North (Whitehead) ; Natal — near Durban, June to August (Ayres), Pinetown, September (Brit. Mus.), Balgowan, breeding March (Sparrow) ; Zululand (Woodward) ; Transvaal- Lydenburg and the Magaliesberg in Eustenburg (Ayres). Habits. — This, the largest of South African Pigeons, is chiefly an inhabitant of the forest ; it seems to be partially migratory in its habits, appearing in very large numbers at certain seasons of the year, when the forest fruits are ripe, especially those of the wild olive tree ; this is in November and December at Knysna, and in June, July and August near Durban. At other times of the year they appear to be dispersed about solitary or in pairs. They build the usual loose nest of sticks in trees, usually in mountain ravines, and lay tw^o white eggs, measuring about 1 5 x 142. Atmore found nests in the top of tree ferns in the mountain ravines near Blanco in the George district, and Layard states that he was informed that they laid four eggs, only two of which hatched out. On the other hand, Major Sparrow tells me that, as a rule, only one egg is laid and hatched, and that this is somewhat rounded, and of a pale greenish tinge. Genus 11. TURTURCENA. Type. Turturcena, Bp. Comptes Bend, xxxix. p. 1104 (1854) T. delagorguei. This genus resembles Columba in most respects, but the size is smaller and there is a patch of metallic colour on the hind neck, while the sexes are dissimilar. COLUMBID^ TURTURCENA 165 Some four species, all confined to Africa, have been described ; one, the type of the genus, is found in South Africa. 633. Turturcena delagorguei. Delagorgue's Pigeon. A- Columba delagorguei, Delagorgue, Voy. Afr. Austr. ii, p. 615 (1847) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1864, p. 354 [Natal] ; Lmjard, B. S. Afr. p. 257 (1867). Tiirturoena delagorguei, Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 289 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 563 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 328, pi. ix, figs. 1, 2, (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 135 (1896) ; Wood- ward Bros. Natal B. p. 131 (1899) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 417 (1901). DescrijJtion. Male. — Head, cheeks, and nape dark slate with green and pink metallic reflections, which are most conspicuous on the nape ; between the nape and the mantle a crescent-shaped mark of white ; rest of the mantle and wing dark crimson, shading into slaty-black on the lower coverts, shoulders and quills ; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail also slaty, becoming almost black on the tail, except for a narrow apical band, which is again paler ; below slaty- grey throughout, the breast washed with pink gloss. Iris dark brown, bill ashy, bare skin round eye, legs and feet dark pink. Length 12-0 ; wing 6-75 ; tail 5-0 ; tarsus -90 ; culmen -65. In the female the forehead is slaty-grey, the crown and nape rufous-red with pink and green metallic reflections, which extend on to the slaty upper part of the mantle ; the rest of the upper surface, including the wings and tail, dark slaty-black ; below grey, very finely freckled with a yellowish- brown throughout. Dimension3 about the same as the male but a little smaller. Length 11-5 ; wing 6-75 ; tail 45. Distribution. — This Pigeon was first discovered and described by M. Delagorgue, a French naturalist and sportsman, in the neighbourhood of Durban ; it has since been obtained by Ayres and Millar in the same neighbourhood, but it appears to be uncommon. The Woodwards obtained a single specimen, now in the South African Museum, in the Ungoye Forest in Zululand. No other South African locality is known. Two species, however, (T. sharpei and T. harterti), have recently been described from the neighbourhoods of Mount Elgon and Mount Kilimanjaro respec- tively, which seem to be very closely allied to the Natal bird. Habits. — Practically nothing is known of the habits of this bird ; 166 COLUMBID^ TURTUR Ayres, the only observer who has recorded anything, states that the stomach of one examined by him contained the frothy larvae of a Cicada, and that in the season it also feeds on mulberries growing In the gardens along the Berea, in the neighbourhood of Durban. Mr. Millar informs me that it is generally seen in pairs, though sometimes in small flights, and that it is very fond of what is known locally as the '' white-eye " berry, but that he had failed to discover anything in regard to its nesting habits. Genus III. TURTUR. Type. Turtur, Selhy, Nat. Libr. Pigeons, p. 169 (1835) T. risorius. Bill somewhat slender and delicate, the horny apex of the mandible a good deal shorter than the soft basal portion ; wing long and pointed, the second or third quill the longest ; tail long, more Fig. 52. — Left foot of Turtur capicola. x \^ than two-thirds the length of the wing, rounded or somewhat graduated ; tail-feathers twelve in number ; tarsus naked, equal to or longer than the middle toe without the claw, sole of the toes narrow, adapted for walking ; no metallic spots or patches in the plumage, neck with a dark collar or scale-like patches on either side ; sexes alike. The true Doves form a large genus spread over the greater part of the Old World, except Australia ; out of some thirteen African species four are found within our limits. COLUMBID^: TUKTUR 167 Key of the Si^ecies. A. With a black collar on the hmd neck. a. Larger, wing over 7'0; outer tail-feathers with a terminal band of gtey. a^. Under tail- coverts grey T. semitorquata, ip. 167. ¥. Under tail-coverts grey, margined with white T. amliguus, p. 168. 6. Smaller, wing under 6*0 ; outer web of the outer tail-feathers with a broad terminal band of white. a^. Forehead and breast darker T. capicola, p. 169. b^. Forehead and breast paler, almost white T. capicola damarensis, p. 171. B. Black collar on the hind neck replaced by a series of bifid feathers with rufous tips and black bases on the sides and front of the neck ^,».^ ,.., T. senegalensis, p. 172. c./-^^. .i^ ^ 'r^ 634. Turtur seniitorquatjiff. Bed-eyed Dove. <^ Columba semitorquata, RUpjJell, Neue Wirbelth. Vog. p. 66, pi. 23, fig. 2 (1835). Turtur erythrophrys, Sivains., B. W. Afr. ii, p. 207, pi. 22 (1837) Gimieij, Ibis, 1862, p. 152 [Natal]. Turtur vinaceus {nee Gmel.) Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 259 (1867). Streptopelia semitorquata, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 234 (1872). Turtur semitorquatus, Slielley, Ibis, 1882, p. 359 [Umfuli Eiver] Holub Sc Peheln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 175 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 303; Sharpe, ed. Layard: s B. S. Afr. p. 566 (1884); Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 416 (1893) ; Flech, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 389 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 136 (1896) ; Woodivard Bros. Natal B. p. 131 (1899) ; Marshall Ibis, 1900, p. 261 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 428 ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 409 (1901) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 201. " Ihobe " of the Zulus (Woodward). Description. Adult Male. — Forehead and crown grey, shading into pale pink on the cheeks and nape ; this is folio v^ed by a very distinct black half collar ; rest of the upper surface pale brown, the greater wing-coverts and rump with a more bluish tinge, the wing- quills darker brown, the concealed bases of the tail-feathers almost black ; below pinky-grey, becoming almost white on the chin and bluish-grey on the flanks, under wing-coverts, abdomen and under tail-coverts ; tail with the basal two-thirds black, the apical third bluish-white. 168 COLUMBID^ TUETUR Iris yellow to orange-red ; bare skin round the eye red ; bill purple to black ; feet reddish-purple. Length about 13-5 ; wing 7-20 ; tail 5-0 ; culmen -80 ; tarsus -95. Distribution. — The Ked-eyed Dove is not very common iti South Africa, except in the more thickly wooded districts from Swellendam eastwards ; it is found along the south coast of the Colony and extends to Natal, Mashonaland and the Zambesi, but it does not appear to have been yet noticed in the Transvaal. Beyond our limits it is spread over the greater part of Africa as far as Abyssinia and Senegal. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Swellendam, Knysna, Albany (Layard & S. A. Mus.), East London (Eickard), King William's Town (Trevelyan), Port St. John's (S. A. Mus.); Natal — common throughout (Woodward and Millar) ; Orange Eiver Colony (Holub) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson and Fleck) ; Ehodesia— Umfuli Eiver, October (Ayres), near Sahsbury, scarce (Marshall), near Victoria Falls (S. A. Mus.); German South West Africa — Cunene Eiver (Andersson) ; Zambesi valley (Alexander). Habits. — The Woodwards state as follows : " These Doves are very common throughout the country, and their loud and pleasant cooing is heard wherever there is any cover for them during the warmer months of the year. They are sometimes seen in large flocks, but as a rule go about in pairs, and feed principally on tree berries. The natives have no love for these birds, as they devour a considerable quantity of grain during the planting season ; but there would not be much loss if care were taken to plant the seed deeper. They get very fat during the summer and are excellent eating. This Dove lays its two white eggs on a few sticks, which are merely an apology for a nest, generally placed in a low tree." Two eggs taken near Durban on June 1, by Mr. A. D. Millar, now in the South African Museum, are pure white, smooth and rounded oval in shape ; they measure 1-20 x '95. <). I 635. Turtur ambiguus. Bocage's Bed-eyed Dove. I ('y "^ Turtur semitorquatus {nee Bilpp.), Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 330. Turtur ambiguus, Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 386 (1881) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i., p. 136 (1896) ; Re'iclienotv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 416 (1901). Turtur decipiens {nee Finsch d Hartl.) Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 567 (1884). COLUMBID^ TURTUR 169 Description. — Closely resembling T. semitorquatus^ but with the forehead and crown darker and washed with sepia, the abdornen white, tinged with grey on the sides, and the under tail-coverts pale grey strongly edged with white. Iris yellow ; skin round the eye red ; bill dark brown ; feet pinkish. Length about 12*0; wing 6*25; tail 4-75 ; culmen -60; tarsus 1-0. Distribution. — This Dove was first discriminated by Bocage, who received an example from Angola ; it was obtained at Tete, by Kirk, many years ago, while lately several specimens have reached the South African Museum from Dr. Stoehr, obtained on the Luangwa Eiver and at N'tambwa's, north of the middle Zambesi, near Feira. It has also been met with round Victoria Nyanza and on the Upper Nile. r^X 636. Turtur capicola. Cape Turtle Dove. J La Tourterelle a collier du Cap, Levaillant, Ois. cVAfr. vi, p. 79 (1808). Columba risoria, Burchell, Travels i, pp. 213, 318, 501 (1822). Columba vinacea var. capicola, Sundevall, K. Vet. Alcad. Handl. ii, no. 3, p. 54 (1857) ; Grill, ibid, no. 10, p. 51 (1858) [Cape and Knysnaj . Turtur semitorquatus {nee C. semitorquata Gm.) Gurney, Ibis^ 1860, p. 214 [Natal] ; P. L. Sclater, P.Z.S., 1866, p. 23 [Windvogelberg] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 260 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1873, p. 259. Turtur albiventris, Shelley, Ibis, 1875, pp. 60, 83 ; Holub ^ Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 172 (1882). Turtur capicola, Finsch ^' Hartl. Vog. Ost-Afrikas, p. 548 (1870) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1873, p. 259; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 322 (1881); Butler, Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 338 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 313 ; Sharjje, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 567 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 424 (1893) ; Rendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 174 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 137 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 132 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 261 ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 414 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 573, 579; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 234. Streptopelia capicola, Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 282, 1880, p. 109 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 6 [Deelfontein] . " Tortel Duif " of Dutch; " Ihobi " (the same name as that given to T. semitorquata) of the Zulus. Description. Adult. — Crown and head mauve-grey, becoming more pink on the lower neck, at the base of which is a broad black semi-collar ; rest of the upper surface pale brown, becoming slaty- blue on the wing-coverts and inner secondaries ; primary coverts 170 COLUMBID^ TURTUR and quills very dark brown, with narrow paler edgings ; central tail feathers like the back, others tipped with white, increasingly so towards the outermost pair, which are white on their outer webs and on the apical half of the inner webs, the concealed bases being black ; a black line along the lores between the eyes and the beak ; lower surface pearly-grey with a slight pink tinge, shading into white on the chin, abdomen and under tail-coverts ; tail below with the basal half black, the apical white. Iris black ; bill black ; legs dark red to purple. Length 11-0 ; wing 5*80 ; tail 4-5 ; tarsus -90 ; culraen -57. The sexes are alike ; a young bird is duller in colour and has paler edges to the feathers. Fig. 53. — Head of Turtur capicola. x \\ Distribution. — The Cape Turtle Dove is very common through- out the greater part of South Africa, wherever there are a few trees and water, though in thickly wooded districts, such as the lower portion of Natal, it is not so common as the Eed-eyed Dove. In Damaraland, Nyasaland and East Africa it is replaced by the subspecies, T. c. damarensis, but intermediate forms occur, so that it is difficult to draw a line of separation between their ranges. The following are the principal recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division, where very common and resident (S. A. Mus.), Mossel Bay (Gates), Knysna (Victorin), Port Elizabeth and East London (Rickard), Tulbagh, Caledon and Hanover (S. A. Mus.), Deelfontein, rather local (Seimund), Windvogelberg in Cathcart (Boulger), Orange Eiver, near Aliwal North, rather common (Whitehead) ; Natal— common in the upper country and in Zululand (Woodward), Bichmond road and Newcastle (Butler, Feilden and COLUMBID^ TURTUR 171 Eeid) ; Orange Kiver Colony — Heilbron district (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom and Kustenburg (Ayres), Johannesburg and Modderfontein (Ross and Haagner) ; Rhodesia — near Salisbury (Marshall), Victoria Falls (S. A. Mus.). Habits. — The Cape Turtle Dove is one of the commonest birds in Cape Town and the suburbs, where its constant harsh cooing becomes somewhat wearisome; it is generally about in pairs, though a good many may sometimes be seen together feeding on the ground ; it is comparatively tame and allows a quite near approach ; its food consists of grain and seeds, and is almost entirely obtained on the ground. It nests near Cape Town in September, a little later, from October to December, in Natal, while Eriksson and Marshall state that it can be found breeding at almost any time during the year. The nest is constructed of a few sticks, so loosely put together that the eggs can usually be seen through when looked at from below. The sticks form a flat platform, and on it are laid two shiny white eggs of oval shape with equally round ends measuring 1-10 to 1-20 X -87 to-90. 637. Tiirtur capicola damarensis. Damara Turtle Dove. La Tourterelle blonde, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. vi, p. 78, pi. 268 (1808). Turtur damarensis, Finscli ^ Hartl, Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 550 (1870); Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 426 (1893) ; Fled, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 389 ; Slielleij, B. Afr. i, p. 137 (1896) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 428. Streptopelia damarensis, Gurney in Andersson's B. Daynaraland, p. 233 (1872). Turtur capicola damarensis, Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 414 (1901). DescrijJtion. — Very similar to T. capicola but paler throughout, especially on the forehead, which is nearly white. Dimensions sHghtly smaller than those of the typical form. Distribution.— This bird was first clearly distinguished by Finsch and Hartlaub, who described an example from Damaraland obtained by Andersson. It appears to replace the typical form throughout German South-west Africa, Angola, Nyasaland, and East Africa. Two Turtle doves from Potchefstroom in the South African Museum do not appear to be distinguishable from those obtained in the neighbourhood of Cape Town, but a specimen collected by Bradshaw 3^ 172 COLUMBID^ TURTUR near Upington on the Orange Eiver is distinctly paler throughout and should undoubtedly be referred to the present subspecies. Habits. — In this respect the Damara Turtle Dove doubtless agrees with the typical subspecies. Andersson writes as follows : " This is the most abundant species of Dove in Damaraland and the parts adjacent. It cannot be strictly said to be a gregarious species ; yet numbers are often found in close proximity both on trees and on the ground, and rise in one flock when flushed, pro- ducing a great noise by the rapid concussion of their wings above their backs. They seek on the ground for their food, which consists almost exclusively of insects. They build in small trees, generally at the extremity of a bough, constructing a rough nest of a few twigs, with no lining of any kind. The eggs are two in number, of a pure white. I have observed these Doves building on August 20, and have found their eggs abundantly at the end of December ; so that it is probable they produce two broods in the year." 638. Turtur senegalensis. . Laughing Dove. Columba senegalensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed, i, p. 283 (1766). La Tourterelle maillee, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. vi, p. 82, pi. 270 (1808). Turtur senegalensis, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 261 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 47 [Natal] ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 261 ; Gurney in Andersson' s B. bamaral. p. 232, (1872) ; A^jres, Ibis, 1877, p. 346 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 359 [Mashonaland] ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, ZooL 1882, p. 338; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 315 ; Sharjoe, ed. La.yard's B. S. Afr. pp. 568, 854 (1884); Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p, 448 (1893) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 289 (1893) ; Fleclc, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 389 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 137 (1896) ; Bendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 174 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 515 [Eshowe] ; Woodward Bros. Natal Birds, p. 132 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 261; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 428 ; Beichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 406 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, p. 573 ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 234 ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 201. " Leeba Khoroana " of Basutos (Murray). Description. Adult Male. — Head, cheeks and neck a greyish- pink, becoming on the mantle and inner part of the wings rufous, mottled slightly with slate ; shoulders, wing-coverts and rump slaty- blue ; quills blackish with narrow light edges ; upper tail-coverts and two central pair of tail-feathers black, other tail-feathers with increasing amounts of white towards the tip and black bases ; round the sides and front of the neck a collar of bifid feathers, the tips of which are rufous red, the bases black ; breast and throat pink, becoming almost white on the throat, slaty-blue on the lower COLUMBID^ TURTUE 173 breast and white on the abdomen and lower tail-coverts [^ three pairs of outer tail-feathers with marked black basal and white apical halves. Iris black to hazel ; bill black with a purplish tinge ; legs dark red to purplish. Length 10-40 ; wing 6-4:5 ; tail 4*60 ; culmen -58 ; tarsus '80. The sexes are alike. Distribution. — The Laughing Dove is found throughout the African Continent from Algeria and Egypt to Cape Town ; a closely allied species replaces it in Western Asia, extending to Turkestan and Central India. In South Africa the Laughing Dove seems to be everyw^here fairly common and occurs in all the Colonies and territories, though it appears not to be quite so abundant as T. capicola. The following are the chief recorded localities : Cape Colony — Cape division (S. A. Mus.), Orange Eiver near Aliwal North (White- head), Grahamstown, rare (Layard), Port Elizabeth, rare (Brown), King William's Town, rare (Trevelyan), St. John's Eiver and Pondo- land (S. A. Mus.) ; Natal— Durban (S. A. Mus.), Maritzburg (Fitz- simmons), near Colenso (Eeid), Eshowe in Zululand (Woodward) ; Basutoland, common (Murray) ; Transvaal — Marico and Eusten- burg (Ayres), near Barberton (Eendall), near Johannesburg (Haagner) ; Bechuanaland — Lake Ngami (Andersson), north Kala- hari (Bryden) ; Ehodesia — Mashonaland (Ayres), Mazoe (Marshall) ; German South-w^est Africa— throughout (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa — Tete (Kirk) and Chicowa (Alexander) on the Zambesi. Habits. — The Laughing Dove is so called in consequence of its peculiar note, which somewhat resembles a human laugh. It is a tame and confiding bird and can often be seen about Cape Town and the neighbourhood in much the same situations as the Cape Turtle Dove, though it is not nearly so abundant as the latter. It is often found about the thorn bushes along the rivers up country, and in Marico, in the Transvaal, according to Ayres, frequents the open threshing floors of the farmers in search of grain. The nest is built in much the same situation, and of very much the same materials as that of the Cape Turtle Dove. Eriksson found on December 6, on the Limpopo Eiver, in the North-east Transvaal, four nests, one with only one egg, the others each with three, all fresh; while the South African Museum has a clutch of two taken on the Umgeni, near Durban, on November 10, by Mr. Millar. These are pure white smooth and shiny, and measure 1*05 x '85. 174 COLUMBIDiE (ENA Genus IV. (ENA. Type. (Ena, Swains., Class. Birds, ii, p. 349 (1837) CE. capensis. Bill very slender and pointed ; the horny portion exceeding the soft basal portion in length ; wiogs pointed, the second quill the longest ; tail very long and graduated ; the middle feathers more than twice as long as the outer pair and considerably longer than the Fig. 54. — Tail of CEna capensis from below, x | wing ; feet slender, the tarsus about equal to the middle toe without the claw ; metallic spots present on the wings and two dark bands across the rump ; sexes distinct. Only one species of this genus has been hitherto recognised ; this is spread over Tropical and South Africa and extends into Arabia and Madagascar. t/C/ 639. (Ena capensis. Namaqua Dove. Columba capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 286 (1766) ; Burchell, Travels, i, pp. 327, 501 (1822) ; Grill, K. Vet. AMd. Handl. Stockhohn, ii, no. 10, p. 51 (1858). La Tourteldlte, Levaillant, Ois. d'Afr. vi, p. 88, pis. 273-5 (1808). (Ena capensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1865, p. 270 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. COTiUMBID^ CENA 175 p. 258 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 261 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B Damaral. p. 235 (1872) ; BucUey, Ibis, 1874, p. 385 ; Shelley, fhiir, 1875, pp. 62, 83 ; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 322 (1881) ; Shelley, Ibis 1882, p. 359; Holub <& Felzeln, Oni. Sild-Afr. p. 171 (1882) Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 338 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p 328 ; Sharjjc, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 572, 854 (1884) ; Symonds Ibis, 1887, p. 333 ; Salvador i, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 501 (1893) ; Br y den Gun and Camera, p. 70 (1893) ; Flech, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 389 Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 138 (1896) ; Woodwa7'd Bros, and Sharps Ibis, 1897, pp. 409, 516 ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 133 (1899) Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 262 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 428 Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 429 (1901) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, pp. 573, 579 ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 234 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 7 [Deelfontein] . " Namaqua Duif " of the Dutch ; " Igombosa" of Zulus (Woodward). Descrijjtion. Adult Male. — Forehead, front of the head, chin, throat and upper breast black ; rest of the head, sides of the neck and most of the wing-coverts mauve-grey ; back, inner part of the wings and rump pale brown ; a patch of metallic peacock blue on the outer web of some of the tertiaries, a double dark brown band across the rump with a dirty white band between; wing-quills cinnamon edged and tipped with black, upper tail-coverts and tail ashy, the tail largely tipped with black, the outer feathers with an apical edging of white ; the lower breast and abdomen white, the under tail-coverts black ; axillaries black ; under wing-coverts cinnamon. Iris brown, bill, base purple, apex orange ; legs purple. Length (in flesh) lO'S ; wiog 4*2 ; tail 5*80 ; culmen -53 ; tarsus "55. The female has no black on the head or breast, the forehead and breast being white to mauve-grey ; the crown and nape are brown like the back ; the white on the outer pair of tail-feathers also is more developed, especially on the outer web ; bill blackish ; feet dark purplish-grey. The young bird is like the female but has a black band on the chest ; there is no metallic spot on the wings or transverse band on the rump ; most of the wing-coverts and scapulars are conspicuously tipped with white or pale fawn with a subterminal band of black ; bill black. Distribution. — The Namaqua Dove is found all over Africa from Senegal and Khartoum southwards to Cape Colony, it also ranges across the Red Sea into Arabia and has been obtained in the Islands of Socotra and Madagascar. 176 COLUMBID^ CENA In South Africa it is generally distributed throughout, though much more abundant in the dryer western and central portions. It appears to be partially migratory, as although it has been met with in the western Transvaal and German South-west Africa throughout the year, it visits, so far as our records go, Cape Colony and Natal only in summer. Fig. 55. — (Ena capensis. The following are recorded localities with dates : Cape Colony — Cape division, December, Tulbagh, December, Worcester, December, Beaufort West, October, Hanover, September (S. A. Mus.), Wel- lington in Paarl division, January (Shelley), Deelfontein, resident (Seimund), Orange River near Upington, January (Bradshaw), near Aliwal North (Whitehead), Hay divison, September, December (Burchell), Harts River, January (Ayres), Oudtshoorn, December (Victorin), King William's Town (Trevelyan) ; Natal— Ladysmith and Blaauw Krantz River, November (Reid), Zululand, October (Wood- ward Bros.) ; Orange River Colony — Kroonstad (Symonds), Vrede- fort Road (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom, January, May and July (Ayres), near Wolmeranstad, July (B. Hamilton), Upper Limpopo, July (Oates), near Johannesburg (Haagner) ; Bechuana- COLUMBID-E TYMPANISTKIA 177 land — Mangwato, December (Ayres), Tati, September (Qates)j Ehodesia— near Victoria Falls, September (S. A. Mus), Mashona- land, scarce (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa— throughout, most abundant in Great Namaqualand (Andersson and Fleck) ; Portuguese East Africa^Chicowa on the Zambesi (Alexander). Habits. — The Namaqua Dove is a most abundant and familiar bird in the interior of the country, and is generally to be seen in the neighbourhood of farm houses, probably because food and water are to be found in the vicinity. From the dates of collection it appears to be probable that this Dove is only a summer migrant to the greater part of the country, though apparently resident in German territory and the western Transvaal. It is a purely ground-feeding bird and runs very rapidly, so that it was frequently mistaken by Layard for a rat ! it feeds entirely on grain and grass seeds, and has a deep plaintive *' coo." The males will coquet with any female they meet, and are described by Layard as very salacious. The nest is usually placed in a mimosa, not very high above the ground, sometimes, however, on the ground or in a hole ; it is the usual carelessly built loose platform of the Family, made of sticks and fibrous roots ; the clutch consists of two oval eggs equally rounded at both ends. These are white, rosy tinted when fresh, owing to the yoke shining through the fine smooth shell ; when blown they have a slight greenish tinge. They measure -80 x *60. Genus V. TYMPANISTKIA. Tympanistria, Beichenb. Nat. Syst. Vog. p. xxv. (1852) ... T. bicolor. Bill moderate, the horny tip shorter than the swollen base ; wings slightly rounded, the third and fourth quills the longest, the difference between these and the longest secondaries barely equal to the length of the tarsus ; first quill very peculiar, strongly attenuated for its terminal third ; tail moderate, shorter than the wing, some- what rounded ; metallic patches present on the wings ; sexes differ- ing sHghtiy. This genus contains only one species, confined to the Ethiopian region, including Madagascar. 12 VOL. IV. 178 COLUMBID^ vy*— - 'JYMPANISTBIA 640. Tympanistria bicolor. Tambourine Dove. Le Tourterelle tambourette, Levaillant, Ois. cVAfr. \i, p. 86, pi. 272 (1808). Coliimba tympanistria, Temm. ^j" KnijJ, Pig. i, fam. sec. p. 80, pi. 36 (1808-11). Peristera tympanistria, Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 214, 1864, p. 359 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 262 (1867) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 84. Tympanistria bicolor, BeicJienb. Nat. Syst. Vog. p. xxv (1852) ; Wood- ward Bros., Ibis, 1898, p. 217 ; id. Natal Birds, p. 134 (1899) ; Short- ridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 201. Tympanistria tjanpanistria, Butler, Feilden and Reid, Zool. 1882, p. 338 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 326 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 571 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 504 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 138 (1896) ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 424 (1901). ' White Breasted Dove " of some authors ; " Isebelu" of the Zulus. Fig. 56. — Wing of Tympanistria bicolor from below, x ^ Description. Adult Male. — Front of the head, a patch above the ear-coverts and a line above and below the eye connecting them, white ; lores, posterior half of the crown, nape and back brown, a little more ashy on the head ; wing-quills cinnamon, with marked brown edgings and tips ; on the outer web of some of the inner coverts and secondaries metaUic spots of blackish-purple ; two not well-marked bands of dark brown across the rump ; central pair of tail-feathers brown with a wash of cinnamon, outer pair ashy with a broad subterminal band of black ; below white throughout, under wing-coverts and axillaries cinnamon, under tail-coverts and flanks ashy-brown. Iris dark brown, eyelids deep lilac ; bill and legs purplish. Length in flesh, 875 ; wing 4*5 ; tail 3'65 ; culmen -60 ; tarsus -80. 4 COLUMBID^ TYMPANISTRIA 179 In the female the white of the face and under parts is tinged with dusky ; the wing spots are black and not metallic. A young bird is brown above throughout, with transverse bands of rufous on the coverts and secondaries, and without the metallic spots ; the lower surface is grey and also shows signs of transverse rufous and brown bands on most of the feathers of the neck and breast. Distribution. — The Tambourine Dove is confined to the more wooded portions of Africa, south of the Gold Coast in the west, of Uganda in the centre, and of Mombasa in the east. It has also been obtained in the . islands of Fernando Po, Comoro and Madagascar. Fig. 57.— Head of Tympanistria bicolor. x -j-i In South Africa the Tambourine Dove has been found only in the wooded districts along the South and East Coasts, and is apparently entirely absent from the central and western districts. The follow- ing are the only recorded localities : Cape Colony — Knysna (Layard and S. A. Mus.), East London, scarce (Eickard), King William's Town, scarce (Trevelyan), Port St. John's, January to March (Shortridge in S. A. Mus.) ; Natal — near Durban, common (Shelley, Reid and S. A. Mus.) ; Zululand (Woodward). Habits. — The Tambourine Dove is only met with in thickly wooded districts, such as are usually found near the coast ; it derives its name from its note ; this is a soft and melancholy "coo coo," repeated slowly at first and afterwards more quickly, till finally it ends in a more or less prolonged rattle resembling that of a tam- bourine. Its note is often heard in the middle of the day, when other birds are silent. According to Ayres it is seen in pairs or singly, but not in companies ; it is very active and lively, of rapid flight, and feeds on the seeds of trees which have dropped on the ground, the principal one being that of the castor oil plant. 180 COLUMBID^ CHALCOPELIA The nest is built in a low tree, and consists of the usual rough platform of sticks, on which are laid two yellowish-white eggs. A clutch of two, taken by Mr. A. D. Millar, on December 10th, at Umgeni, near Durban, and presented by him to the South African Museum, are oval, smooth and ivory-white, measuring -95 x '75. Genus VI. CHALCOPELIA. Type. Chalcopelia, B_p..Consp. Av. ii, p. 67 (1854) C. afra. Bill slender, the horny tip shorter than the swollen basal portion, wings moderate, not so rounded as in Tympanistria, the second quill the longest, first quill normal, not attenuated ; tail shorter than the wing, slightly graduated, the difference between the inner and outer feathers about half the length of the tarsus ; metallic spots on the scapulars and wings ; sexes only slightly different. One species only, spread over Tropical and South Africa, has been hitherto recognised. ;^ ' t:f f 641. Chalcopelia afra. Emerald-spotted Dove. Columba afra, Linn. Sijst. Nat. 12th ed. i, p. 284 (1766). Le Tourterelle emeraudine, Levaill. Ois. d AfiWi, p. 84, pi. 271 (1808). Columba chalcospilos, Wagler, Syst Av. Columha, sp. 83 (1827) ; Grill, K. Vet. Akad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 51 (1858) [KnysnaJ . Peristera afra, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 262 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, pp. 48, 164 [Natal] . Peristera chalcospila, Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 84. Chalcopelia afra, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 236 (1872) ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 322 (1881) ; Holub d Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 176 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 323 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. . S. Afr. p. 570 (1884) ; W. Ay res. Ibis, 1887, p. 60 [Eovirand] ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 506 (1893) ; FlecJc, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 389 ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 137 (1896) ; Bendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 174 ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 515 [Eshowe] ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 134 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 270 ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 428 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 426 (1901). " Isikombazena " of Zulus (Woodward). Description. Adult male.— Crown and occiput slaty-grey, palest on the forehead ; mantle and wings earthy-brown ; quills and primary coverts cinnamon, edged on the outer web and largely tipped with dark-brown ; on the inner webs of some of the inner coverts and inner secondaries some metallic patches of steely-green /6^ COLUMBID^ CHALCOPELIA 181 or blue; two broad black bands across the rump separatedJajL^a pale earthy band ; tail-coverts and tail brown, tipped with black, the outer pair ashy at the base and tip, with a subterminal band of black and a white basal half on the outer web ; below vinaceous- pink, paler on the chin and abdomen ; under tail-coverts black, the outer ones white ; under wing-coverts and axillaries cinnamon. Iris dark-brown, space round eyes slate colour ; bill deep purple horn ; legs deep lilac. Length 8 5 ; wing 4-3 ; tail 3-40; tarsus '15 ; culnaen -60. The female is slightly smaller, has the metallic spots on the wings of a golden-green, and is a darker vinous-pink on the lower side. Distrihution. — The Emerald-spotted Dove is found over the greater part of Africa from Senegal, Abyssinia and Somaliland southwards. In South Africa it is chiefly met with in the wooded districts, but it is more widely spread and is more abundant than the Tambourine Dove, extending to the Transvaal, Ehodesia and the northern part of German South-west Africa. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Worcester and Long Kloof in Uniondale (Layard), Knysna, October (Victorin), Uitenhage and East London (Rickard), King WilHam's Town (Trevelyan) ; Natal — Durban and Pinetown, March (Shelley), Blaauwkrantz river near Colenso, May (Gates), Eshowe in Zululand (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Barberton (Kendall), Swaziland, July (Buckley in Brit. Mus.), Rovirand in Zoutspansberg and Rustenburg (W. Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Moxowi in the Kalahari and Ngami (Fleck) ; Rhodesia — near Victoria Falls common (W. L. Sclater), Shagari river in Mashonaland (Marshall) ; German South-west Africa— 'N. Damaraland and Ovampoland (Andersson) ; Zambesi Valley (Alexander). Habits. — The Emerald-spotted Dove resembles the Tambourine Dove in its habits, but frequents somewhat more open ground, such as broken bush, clearings near the banks of rivers and such-like localities ; it obtains its food, which consists chiefly of grass seeds, on the ground, and has a gentle cooing note, "hoo hoo hoo-hoo " in gradually descending scale, which is very characteristic, and once heard is never likely to be forgotten. Its nesting habits resemble those of other Doves ; Andersson writes as follows : — " This Dove constructs a nest of a few rough sticks in a bush or at the extremity of a bough of some low stunted tree. The sticks compos- ing the nest are so loosely put together that a person looking at it 182 COLUMBIDiE HAPLOPELIA from below may see the two white eggs through the nest. It is seldom that more than one egg is hatched. The young are usually fledged by the middle of January." Eggs in the South African Museum, taken in November near Durban, are smooth, oval, and white with a creamy tinge; they measure 1*0 x '75. Genus YII. HAPLOPELIA. Aplopelia, Bp. Consp. Av. ii, p. 66 (1854) H. larvata. Haplopelia, Sundev. Tentamen, p. 100 (1872) H. larvata. Form stout and robust ; bill moderate, the terminal horny portion shorter than the basal portion ; wing somewhat rounded, the third primary the longest, this exceeds the longest secondary by more than the length of the tarsus ; tail shorter than the wing, slightly graduated ; tarsus stout and strong, slightly exceeding in length the middle toe without claw ; no metallic spots but a general metallic sheen on the upper portion of the back ; sexes closely resembling one another. Some four species of this genus, one of which is South African, have been hitherto recognised ; all are confined to the Ethiopian ^0 642. Haplopelia larvata. Lemon Bove. Le Tourterelle a masque blanc, Levaill. Ois. cVAfr. vi, p. 80, pi. 269 (1808). Columba larvata, Temm. d Knip, Pig. i, fam. sec. p. 71, pi. 31 (1808- 11) ; Grill, K. Vet. Akad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 51 (1858) [Cape divi- sion and Knj^sna]. Peristera larvata, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 263 (1867) ; Guimey, Ibis, 1868, p. 47 [Natal] ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 84 ; Barrait, Ibis, 1876, p. 208 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1876, p. 433. Aplopelia larvata, Holub <& Pelzeln, Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 176 (1882). Haplopelia larvata, Shelley, Ibis, 1883, p. 293 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard'' s B. 8. Afr. p. 564 (1884) ; Salvadori, Cat. B. M. xxi, p. 538 (1893) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 136 (1896) ; Sharpie, Ibis, 1897, p. 515 [Eshowe] ; Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 135 (1899) ; Beichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 420 (1901) ; Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 201. " Cinnamon " or " Lemon Dove " of English, " Lamoen Duif " of Dutch. Description. Adult. — Forehead and front of the face white, becoming a metallic-pink (or green in some lights) on the crown, occiput, hind neck and upper portion of the mantle ; rest of the upper surface, including the wings and two central tail-feathers 2^ COLUMBID^ HAPLOPELIA 183 dark earthy-brown ; lateral tail-feathers with the basal two _fchirds black, the apical third ashy ; below the chin and cheeks are greyish- white, the breast is pink and slightly metallic, changing to cinnamon on the lower breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts ; under wing- coverts, axillaries and sides of the body dark-brown. Iris, inner circle dusky, outer pink, eyelids and bare skin round the eye pink ; bill black ; legs and feet dark-pink. Length 12 ; wing 60 ; tail 4-20 ; culmen '50 ; tarsus 1'05. The female is slightly duller in colour and smaller in size. A young bird has the front of the face dirty- white ; there is no metallic sheen, and the general colour above and below is brown with narrow rufous bars and tips to most of the feathers. Flg. BS.—Hea.dioi Haplopelialarvata. x j^ Distribution. — The Lemon Dove was first discovered by Levail- lant in the Outeniqua forests of what is now the division of Knysna ; it is entirely confined to the densely wooded districts of the Colony, Natal and the Transvaal ; north of the Zambesi it is replaced by three closely allied subspecies from Nyasaland, Shoa and West Africa respectively. The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony — Cape division, January, June, July and November (Victorin and S. A. Mus.), Knysna, January; April, May and July (Andersson and Victorin), George (Atmore), King William's Town (Trevelyan), Port St. Johns, rare (Shortridge) ; Natal — Durban, April (Shelley), Eshowe in Zululand (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Macamac in Lyden- burg, June, July (Barratt and Ayres). Habits. — The Lemon Dove is confined to the forest and thick bush, and is seldom or ever found outside. It is generally seen on the ground seeking its food, which consists chiefly of forest berries ; it is shy and by no means easy to see or procure, but can often be heard rustling among the fallen leaves, and thus causing disappoint- ment to the sportsman who is lying in wait for buck ; it has a 18 i PTEKOCLETES peculiar short, melancholy coo. Shelley found two nests of this bird on April 11th, in the bush near Durban ; they were placed about four feet from the ground in low creepers close to the path and contained two eggs each. The nest was a flimsy structure of sticks. Eggs in the South African Museum, taken near Durban by Mr. Millar in November, are oval in shape, white, with a slight tinge of brown, and measure about I'O x '75. Older XL PTEROCLETES. The Sandgrouse, for which this special Order was formed by Huxley, are moderately sized birds, usually of a speckly yellowish colour, and of swift flight ; they are confined to the Old World where they are found principally in desert or semi-desert districts. The bill is small and without a cere ; the feet are feathered to the base of the toes, and the hallux is small, or in some cases absent ; the rectrices vary in number from fourteen to eighteen ; the young are hatched, covered with down and able to care for themselves. This group was formerly associated w^ith the Game-birds, but shows in a good many of its anatomical characters a close relation- ship to the Pigeons ; this is especially the case as regards certain osteological characters. Beddard also traces a connection with the Limicolse or waders. The following are the principal anatomical characters : Skull schizognathous and holorhinal ; basipterygoid processes present ; aftershaft small ; oil-gland nude ; crop present ; two carotids ; caeca long ; the two deep plantar tendons fuse and then divide to supply the anterior toes, the hallux having an independent tendon altogether, the flexor hallucis brevis ; all the five Garrodian thigh muscles present. All the Sandgrouse fall into a single family, divisible into three genera, two of which are represented in South Afric.x. Key of the Genera. A. Tail-feathers rounded Pterocles,]p. 185. B, Central tail-feathers elongated, attenuated and pointed, extending beyond the others Pteroclurus, p. 191, PTEROCLID^ PTEROCLES 185 Family I. PTEROCLID^. Genus I. PTEROCLES. Ty])e. Pterocles, Temm.^ Man. Ornith. p. 299 (1815) P. arenarius. Bill slender and arched, no cere; nostrils elongated, bordered above by feathers ; wings pointed and long ; tarsi covered with small feathers in front, reticulate behind ; toes naked, hallux small, almost rudimentary, jointed above the level of the other toes ; tail of fourteen or sixteen feathers, rounded, central feathers not pro- duced beyond the others to any extent. This genus, containing some ten species, is spread all over Africa including Madagascar, southern Europe and central and southern Asia, from Spain to India. Three species occur within our limits. Fig. 69. — Left foot of Pterocles bicinctus. A. Key of the Species. round white spots above and With nttle below. a. Chin slaty -grey P.variegatus, ^,p. 186. b. Chin pale buff P.variegatus, $ , p. 186. B. Not spotted with white above or below. a. Under tail-coverts uniform deep chestnut. rt\ Throat yellow, bordered by a black line. ¥. Throat yellow without a black band b. Under tail-coverts closely barred with black. a\ Chest uniform olive, followed by a bar of P. gutturdlis, $ , P. gutturalis, ? , 187. 187. white and another of black P. bicinctus, ^ , p. 189. &\ Throat spotted, rest of lower surface barred with black P. bicinctus, ? , p. 189. 186 PT^ROCLID^ ^- . JPTEROCL^S . , o^ 643. Pterocles variegatus. Spotted Sandgrou^e. Tetrao (Pterocles) variegatus, Burchell, Travels, ii, p. 345 (1824). Pterocles variegatus, Smith, Beport Exped. C. Afr. p. 56 (1836) ; id. Ill Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. x (1838) : Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 279 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 375 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 262 ; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaraland, p. 242 (1872) ; Elliot, P. Z. 8. 1878, p. 244; 8helley, Ibis, 1882, p. 360 [Bechuanaland] ; Holub <& Pelz., Orn. 8iid-Afr. p. 181 (1882) ; 8harpe ed. Layard' s B. 8. Afr. p. 578 (1884) ; Nicolls ^ Eglington, 8ports7n. 8. A. p. Ill, pi. xi, fig. 56 (1892); Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 22 (1893); id. Game Bds. i, p. 17 (1896) ; FlecTi, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 384 ; 8helley, B. Afr. i, p. 184 (1896) ; Beiclienoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 307 (1900). " Gheel Patrijs" of Dutch (Nicolls & Eglington). Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head very dark brown with pale buffy edges to the feathers ; back and wings ashy-black, all the feathers largely tipped with olive-yellow ; a number of small white spots, generally distributed throughout ; quills dusky with white shafts, some of the inner ones with paler whitish tips, edge of the w^ing pale rufous ; tail of fourteen feathers, dusky-black with buff tips and cross-bars ; below, throat, lores and sides of the face, above and below^ the eye, lilac-grey ; ear-coverts pale buff; breast dull rufous, passing into buff on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; a number of round white spots on the breast, like those on the back. Iris dark brow^n ; eyelids gamboge ; bill black ; feet and claws dusky-yellow. Length 9-25; wing 6*0; tail 3-0; tarsus 1-1; culmen -35. The female differs from the male in having the chin, throat and eye-stripes pale buff; the belly and thighs are pale rufous-buff, indistinctly barred with white. Distribution. — The Spotted Sandgrouse does not appear to have been met with south of the Orange Elver ; but north of that river is found throughout the western portion of our area as far as the Okavango River, though now^here very abundant. The following are recorded localities. Cape Colony — near Griquatown (Burchell, type), Kimberley (Brit. Mus.), Fourteen Streams in Griqualand West (B. Hamilton), near Kuruman (Smith and Exton) ; Transvaal— on the Limpopo and Marico Eivers (Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Limonie Pan near Bamangwato (Ayres), Kalahari (Fleck) ; German South-west Africa — Damaraland (Andersson). Habits. — This species, though less widely distributed and not so common as the Namaqua Sandgrouse, resembles it in its habits, PTEEOCLID^ PTEROCLES 187 It is found during the day singly or in pairs scattered ovec_the grassy veld in search of seeds and berries which forni its food; in the morning and evening it resorts in large numbers, often in company with the other sandgrouse, to watering places, circling round high up in the air and descending very suddenly with a dash. Its note is less shrill and piping than that of the other species. The eggs are described by Layard as pale dull greenish- brown spotted with light brown and indistinct purple, and further spotted with dark brown. Eriksson states that three eggs of this bird were brought to him by one of his hunters ; they were laid on the bare sand in a small depression. ■ ' ■ r 644. Pterocles gutturalis. Yellow -throated Sandgrouse. Pterocles gutturalis, Smith, Bejwrt Exped. C. Afr. p. 56 (1836) ; id. Illustr. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pis. 3 (male), 31 (female), (1838-9) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 278 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 297, 1871, p. 268, 1878, p. 298, 1885, p. 346 ; BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 385 ; Elliot, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 241 ; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 323 (1881) ; Holuh d PeU. Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 182 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 359 ; Sharpe, ed. Bayard's B. S. Afr. p. 577 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. 112, pi. xi, figs. 54, 55 (1892) ; Grant, Cat. B, M. xxii, p. 25 (1893) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 289, 477 with fig. • (1893) ; Grant, Game Birds, i, p. 19 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 184 (1896) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 305 (1900) ; Haagner, Ibis, 1902, p. 573. " Nacht Patrijs " of the Dutch. Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head dusky-black; back and wings yellowish -olive, with black bases to the feathers ; primaries, primary coverts and inner secondaries black with pale tips and edges ; tail-feathers 16 in number, centre pair like the back, lateral ones black tipped and barred with chestnut ; a black band from the base of the bill to the eye ; eyebrow, chin, throat, cheeks and ear coverts very pale yellow, followed by a semicircular black band running up to bfehind the ear- coverts ; breast bluish- grey, deepening into a rich chestnut on the abdomen, under tail-coverts and thighs, the latter showing strong traces of transverse black barring. Iris dusky brown, bill light bluish-horn, toes dusky. Length about 11-0; wing 8-5 ; tail 3-75; culmen -65; tarsus 1-5. The female is buffy-yellow, variegated and speckled with black above ; the primaries and their coverts black, as in the male ; chin, 188 PTEROCLID^ PTEROCLES throat and ear-coverts, yellowish-buff; breast pale buff, mottled and streaked with black ; abdomen, thighs and under tail-coverts rich chestnut, narrowly barred with black ; centre tail-feathers like the back, buffy-yellow barred with black, lateral ones black, barred and tipped with pale chestnut ; size about the same as the male. The young bird resembles the female but the transverse bands on the mantle are smaller and finer. Distribution. — The Yellow-throated Sandgrouse was first dis- covered by Sir Andrew Smith in the neighbourhood of Kurrichaine in the present Eustenburg district of the Transvaal. From the western Transvaal it extends to Bechuanaland and the northern Kalahari, while beyond our limits it is recorded from Nyasa- land, Masailand and the mountains of Abyssinia. It does not appear to reach Damaraland. Dr. Howard tells me it is common in Little Namaqualand. The following are localities. Cape Colony— Litakun near Kuru- man (Smith in S. A. Mus.) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom and Eusten- burg (Ayres), Marico (Holub), near Johannesburg, scarce (Haagner) ; Bechuanaland — N. Kalahari (Bryden)^ Shashi Eiver (Gates). Habits. — This is the largest and perhaps the most handsome of all the South African Sandgrouse ; both in voice and appearance it is likened by Bryden to the Grouse of Scotland. It is usually found in companies of from three to twelve individuals on bare ground not far from water, where it feeds on seeds and small bulbous roots. When crouched on the ground it is very difficult to detect ; when flushed it does not run, but rises at once with a powerful flight, accompanied by a whirring sound made by the wings. The note, only heard on the wdng, is a short and somewhat harsh "tweet." Like other Sandgrouse they resort to water daily, but not at such regular hours as the other species. They are specially fond of the grain of the Kaflir corn and resort in large numbers to the fields when ready for cutting ; in consequence perhaps of this they are generally very good eating, especially when split open and grilled with butter. The eggs, usually three in number, are laid on the bare ground among the grass. They are dusky tawny, marked with lines . and blotches of umber forming a zone towards the base, and measure about 1-7 X 1-09. PTEROCLID^ - * PTEROCLES 189 645. Pterocles bicinctus. Double-banded Sandgrouse. __ c. Pterocles bicinctus, Temm. Pig. ct Gal. iii, pp. 247, 713 (1823) ; Strich- land and Sclater, Contr. Orn. 1852, p. 157 ; Layard B. S. Afr. p. 278 (1867); Ay res, Ibis, 1869, p. 298, 1871, p. 269, 1886, p. 292; Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaraland, p. 241 (1872) ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 385 ; Elliot, P. Z. S. 1878, p. 255 ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 323 (1881) ; Sharjjc, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. pp. 575, 854 (1884) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. A. p. Ill (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Cafnera, pp. 285, 476 (1893) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 30 (1893) ; id. Game Birds, i, p. 21 (1896)'; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, pp. 358, 384; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 184 (1896); Alexander, I6is, * 1900, p. 449 : Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 309 (1900). Description. Male. — Forehead and a transverse band across the crown, white, between which is a wider black band; crown of the head pale reddish-brown streaked with black, nape of the neck, sides of the face, chin, breast and fore half of the wings olive; rest of the upper surface black mottled and barred with pale chestnut, Fig. 60. — Head of Pterocles bicinctus, s . X \^ many of the feathers tipped with white ; primaries, primary covert and secondaries black, slightly tipped with white ; below, the olive breast is bounded by a narrow white, followed by a narrow black, transverse band ; rest of the lower surface narrowly trans- versely banded with black and white ; feathers on the tarsus greyish ; under tail-coverts pale chestnut with a few bars of black. Iris hazel, skin round the eye chrome yellow ; bill yellowish- brown ; legs yellowish. Length about 9*0 ; wing 6*75 ; tail 3-0 ; culmen -7 ; tarsus 1*05.. The female has the whole of the upper parts including the head and neck as well as the breast, hke the back of the male, black, mottled and barred with pale chestnut, and often tipped wich white ; 190 PTEEOCLID^ PTEEOCLES wing-quills as in the male ; chin and throat huffy grey finely spotted with black ; lower breast and abdomen as in the male. Examples from Damaraland and from Griqualand West are, as has been remarked by Ogilvie Grant, much paler and lighter in colour, so much so that they might very well be distinguished under a subspecific name. Distribution. — This Sandgrouse was first discovered by Levail- lant on the banks of the Great Fish Eiver in the southern part of Great Namaqualand. It does not appear to extend south of the Orange Eiver except in Little Namaqualand, where Dr. Howard tells me it is common, but northwards it reaches the southern part of Angola and the Zambesi Valley. Its headquarters appear to be Bechuanaland. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Griqualand West, October (S. A. Mus.), Kuruman (Moffat) ; Transvaal — Lim- popo, May (Ayres), Selati and Sabi Rivers in Lydenburg, April and August (Francis, in S. A. Mus.) ; Bechuanaland — Makalapsi and Makloutsi Rivers, August (Gates), Kanye (Exton), near Palachwe (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa, throughout (Andersson and Fleck) ; Portuguese East Africa — Zambesi Valley, from Tete to Chishomba (Alexander). Habits. — The Double-banded Sandgrouse very much resembles the other species in habits ; it is generally found in flocks, which, however, split up during the breeding season. Its flight is swift and its note a curious shrill whistle. The following is Alexander's account of its habits in the Zambesi Valley. " These birds frequent open spots in the woods, where the soil is loose and stony, and the slopes of hilly banks that are coated with dry grass. They are fond of basking in the sun, remaining in a sleepy condition during most of the day. When on the ground it is difficult to see them, and one almost treads upon them before they rise up, startling one with their flare of wings and noisy '' chuk chuk " notes, which are given out simultaneously and with great zest. Out of the breeding season they go together in large batches, sometimes of 30 or 40 in one flock. In habits they might almost be termed crepuscular. Every evening as regular as clock work, and just as dusk is closing in, they wing their way to their watering spots, while, should the night be moonlight, they feed in the vicinity of water." Ayres found this bird breeding on the banks of the Limpopo in May and June ; the eggs, 3 or 4 in number, are laid on the bare ground amongst the short grass. The hen sits very close. The PTEROCLID^ PTEHOCLURUS 191 eggs are brownish-pink, spotted and blotched all over, especially at the thicker end, with a darker shade of the same colour. They measure about 1*37 x '93. Eriksson, who found nests later in August, also on the Limpopo, gives a similar account. A clutch of two eggs, from about twenty miles north of the Oliphants Eiver in Portuguese East Africa, near the Transvaal border, obtained by Major Sparrow on June 13, agrees well with the description given above, but measure 1-5 x 1*1. Genus II. PTEROCLURUS. Type. Pteroclurus, Bp. Comptes Bend, xlii, p. 880 (1856) ......P. alchata. ^ \ /rr\ •: i'j k\ '. rr^ .^ \ , ' Fig. 61. — Tail of Pteroclurus namaqua. x | This genus only differs from Pterocles in having the two central tail-feathers produced and somewhat attenuated and pointed ; tail of sixteen feathers. Five species are 'recognised, spread over Southern Europe and 192 PTEROCLID^ PTEEOCLUKUS Asia from Spain to the Indian Peninsula and Africa. Only one of them is found within our limits. ^ 646. Pteroclurus namaqua. Na7naqua Sandgrouse. Tetrao namaqua, Gmel., Syst. Nat. i, p. 754 (1788) ; BurcheU, f ravels i, pp. 265, 303 (1822). Pterocles tachypetes, Temm. Pig. et Gall, iii, pp. 274, 715 (1815) ; Layartl, B. S. Afr. p. 277 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 75 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1871, p. 262 ; Bryclcn, Kloof and Karoo, p. 315 (1889) ; id. Gun and Camera, p. 289 (1893) ; id. Nature and S:port, p. 33 (1897). Pteroclurus namaqua, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 242 (1872) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 10 (1893) ; id. Game Bds. i, p. 11 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 183 (1896) ; Beichenow, fog. Afr. 1, p. 318 (1901) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 234 ; Sharjje, Ibis, 1904, p. 4 [Deelfontein]. Pterocles namaqua, Elliot, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1878, p. 252 ; Bocage, Orn. Angola, p. 396 (1881) ; Holub <& Pelz. Orn. Slid- Afr. p. 182 (1882) ; Shar^pe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. pp. 574, 854 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 292 ; Symonds, Ibis, 1887, p. 333 ; Nicolls and Egliiigton, Sportsm. S. A. p. 109 (1892) ; Flecli, Journ. Ornith. 1894, p. 384. "Namaqua Partridge" of English, "Namaqua Patrijs " or "Kelkje Wijn " of Dutch Colonists. Fig. 62. — Head of Pteroclurus na^naqiia. x W Description. Adult male. — Head and back pale brown, the cheeks, sides of the neck and nape suffused with a mustardy yellow tinge, most of the feathers of the back and wing-coverts with a subterminal buffy yellow blotch and a lilac blue, darkening to black, terminal spot ; primary-quills dusky black, the inner ones with white inner webs and tips; the greater coverts like the quills; tail of sixteen feathers, the two central ones dusky, becoming black at the tip and produced into a point ; lateral ones with conspicuous buff tips ; bel(3w the chin and throat orange-bulf, shading through yellow into pale brown on the chest becoming darker on the lower breast ; PTEROCLID^ PTEROCLURUS 193 thighs and abdomen yellowish-buff; across the breast a narrp^v^ white band bordered with rich chocolate-brown ; tarsus, feathered to the base of the toes, pale buff. Iris dark brown, bill bluish-slate, feet and claws lavender. Length in flesh 10-75 ; in skin 10-0 ; wing 6-25 ; tail 3-30 ; culmen -50 ; tarsus -80. (This appears to be a rather small bird compared with that one the dimensions of which are given in the British Museum Catalogue). The female, which differs considerably from the male, is streaked and mottled with black and on the shoulders with dark brown and white as well ; wings and tail as in the male, the central feathers being elongated and attenuated ; below buffy-brown, the chin and throat with minute spots, the breast with brown streaks and the lower breast with transverse bars of black ; abdomen, under tail- coverts and tarsal feathers pale huffy, unspotted ; soft parts as in the male. Length in flesh 11-25 ; in skin 10-5 ; wing 6-5. A young male resembles the female, but the top of the head and back are more rufous and more barred with black ; below, the throat is paler and the breast more rufous than in the adult male. Distribution. — The Namaqua Partridge, as it is generally called, is found throughout the drier and more desert portion of South Africa from the Karoo and Namaqualand to the Cunene, but not in Natal, the eastern Transvaal or Mashonaland. The following are localities : Cape Colony — Malmesbury, Tulbagh, Worcester, December, Orange Kiver, near Upington, November, December (S. A. Mus.), Aliwal N* May (Whitehead), East London, rare (Wood), King William's Town district, rare (Pym), Deelfontein, resident (Seimund), Kimberley, June (Brit. Mus.) ; Orange Eiver Colony — Kroonstad, September (Symonds), Vredefort Koad (Hamil- ton); Transvaal — Potchefstroom,, August, November, Marico (Ayres), Irene, November (Shortridge) ; Bechuanaland— Kalahari (Fleck), Lake Ngami (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa — throughout (Fleck and Andersson). Habits. — This bird is found in great abundance all over the Karoo and throughout the dry country ; it appears to be a resident in some parts and a partial migrant in others ; it is spread all over the country during the day, generally in pairs or small parties, searching for its food, which consists chiefly of grass and other seeds. In the morning just about sunrise and in the evening just before sunset it resorts to pools and rivers, circling round in large 13 VOL. IV. 194 GALLINiE flocks at a great height above the ground and then suddenly descending to drink. At such times large numbers can easily be shot. Its flight is very powerful and swift, and it also runs quickly, though its legs are very short. When flying it often gives vent to a shrill, sharp cry not unlike that of an EngHsh plover, whence the Dutch name Kelkje Wijn (i.e., kelkie vane), which is a near imita- tion of the sound. The eggs, two in number, are of a light cream colour, spotted with brown and purple ; they are oblong, measuring 1*50 to 1-30 x 1*0, and are laid in a slight hollow on the ground. There are examples in the South African Museum, taken by Major Sparrow on the 18th August at Welgevonden, in the Orange Kiver Colony. The flesh of this bird is very tough, and it is best eaten skinned and stewed. Order XII. G&LLINiE. This Order contains the true Game-Birds, such as the Pheasants, Grouse, Turkeys, Brush-Turkeys and Curasows ; they can be easily recognised by their short, arched bills, their strong legs, well adapted to walking, and their rounded, rather feeble wings ; the tarsus is very generally armed, especially among the males, with a strong sharp spur ; the hallux is always present and in all the South African forms is jointed above the level of the other toes ; the wing has ten primaries and the fifth secondary is present. The nest is usually placed on the ground, and the young, when hatched, are covered with down and are able to fly almost at once. The more important anatomical characters are as follows : — Sixteen cervical vertebrae ; skull schizognathous and holorhinal, basipterygoid processes represented by sessile facets, situated far forward on the sphenoidal rostrum ; sternum with two deep notches on both sides posteriorly ; plantar tendons galline (see Vol. III., p. 2, fig. 2b) ; oil gland nearly always present and generally tufted ; crop present ; caeca large ; two carotids nearly always present ; the five Garrodian thigh muscles present in all the South African species. Two suborders are generally recognised : one, the Peristeropodes, containing the Brush-Turkeys (Megapodiidae) and the Curasows (Cracidae) confined to the Australian and Neotropical Regions PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 195 respectively, the other, the Alectoropodes, in which the hallux is raised above the level of the other toes. The latter suborder also contains only two families — the Grouse (Tetraonidae) and the Phasianidae ; all the South African Game Birds are included in the last named family. Key of the Genera, A. Head, neck and throat normal, covered with feathers. a. Tail of fourteen feathers ; birds of large size with strong bills and round wings Francolinus, p. l^S. b. Tail of ten or twelve feathers very short, soft and concealed by the upper tail- coverts ; small birds with short beaks and pointed wings Coiurnix, p. 220. c. Tail of eight feathers, short and concealed ; small birds with short beaks and rounded wings Excalfacto7'ia, p. 226. B. Head and neck covered with feathers, throat bare Pternistes, p. 214. C. Head and neck naked ; a bony outgrowth or helmet on the crown Numida, p. 227. D. Head and neck naked ; a tuft of curly feathers on the crown Guttera, p. 233. Family I. PHASIANID^. Nostrils never concealed by feathers ; tarsi partially or entirely naked and often armed with spurs ; hallux jointed to the tarsus above the level of the other toes. Genus I. FRANCOLINUS. Type. Francolinus, Stephens in Shaiv's Gen. Zool, xi, p. 316 (1819) F. vulgaris. Bill rather stout and hooked ; nostrils with an over-hanging operculum ; throat feathered ; wings somewhat rounded, first primary about equal to the sixth or seventh, second and third generally the longest ; tarsi naked, with spurs usually present, especially in the males ; tail of fourteen feathers, short, about half the length of the wing. 196 PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS Sexes sometimes alike, sometimes differing considerably ; plumage chiefly mottled and streaked with shades of brown and yellow. This is a large genus, containing some forty-five species, chiefly found in Africa but extending into southern Asia from Cyprus to southern China. Out of forty-two African species, recognised by Shelley, ten occur within our limits. Fig. 63. — Left foot of FrancoUnus capensis, S Key of the Species. A. Back and scapulars with whitish or buff shaft- marks. a. Lower breast and belly pale, uniformly barred with black F. coqui, p. 197. b. Lower breast and belly not uniformly barred with black. a\ Kump and upper tail-coverts without whitish shaft marks ; below buffy-white, faintly mottled with black F. sephcena, p. 199. b^. Eump and upper tail-coverts with whitish shaft marks like the rest of the upper surface. PHASIANIDiE FRANCOLINUS 197 a?. Throat white, more or less spotted with black ; primaries uniform brown on the inner web F. africanus, p. 201. b^. Throat white or whitish surromided by a line of mottled black and white feathers. a^. Black and white superciliary stripes coalescing on the nape of the neck ; primaries chiefly rufous F. levaillanti, p. 203. b^. Black and white superciliary stripes not meeting on the nape, but curving round towards the throat. a\ Lower breast and belly rich buff, streaked and mottled with chestnut black and white F. gariejjensis, p.205. bK Lower breast and belly pale butf, almost immaculate F. jiigularis, p. 207. c*. Lower breast and belly whitish with more or less distinct V-shaped bars ... F. shelleyi, p. 208. B. No white or other marked shaft stripes on the back. a. Beneath nariowly transversely barred with black and white F. adsjjersus, p. 209. b.- Striped or mottled, not barred beneath. aK Back and scapulars blackish-brown, the feathers margined and vermiculated with white F. capensis, p. 210. 6". Back and scapulars olive-brown, finely vermi- culated with black F. natalensis, p. 212. 647. Francolinus coqui. Coqui. ^'^ Ol^j-^<--^^ f o^ Perdix coqui. Smith, Rep. Exped. C. Ajr. p. 55 (1836). Francolinus subtorquatus, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 15 (1838) ; Gurneij, Ibis, 1860, p. 215 [Natal] ; id. P. Z. S. 1864, pp. 3, 6 [Oka- vango Kiver] ; Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 273 (1867) ; Giirney, Ibis, 1868, p. 467 [Limpopo] ; BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 386 ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 85; Ay res, Ibis, 1880, p. 110; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 361, [Bula- wayo] ; Sharpe ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 600 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1884, p. 232 ; W. Ayres, Ibis, 1887, p. 61 ; Nicolls S)- Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 103 (1892) ; Br y den, Gun and Camera, pp. 282, 471 (1893) ; Rendall, Ibis, 1896, p. 175. Scleroptera subtorquata, Gurney, in Andersso7i's B. Damaraland, p. 246 (1872). Francolinus schlegeli (nee Heugl.), Sharpe ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 602 (1884). Francolinus coqui, SchaecJc, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 349 (1891) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 143 (1893) ; id. Game Bds. i, p. Ill (1896); 198 PHASIANID^ FKANCOLINUS Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 180 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal Bds. p. 160 (1899) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 262 ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 492 (1901). " Iswempe " of Zulus (Woodward). ' Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head and a stripe from behind the eye to the upper ear-coverts reddish-chestnut ; sides of the face and neck all round ochre-yellow, paling into white on the chin ; rest of the upper surface grey and pale chestnut, most of the feathers with conspicuous shaft stripes of yellow-buff; primaries and secondaries slaty-black, the latter banded on the inner webs with chestnut ; tail chestnut and black ; below, including the sides of the breast, white, shading on the under tail-coverts to pale buff with transverse bands of black, which gradually disappear on the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; a single moderate spur. Iris light hazel-brown ; bill ashy-horn, yellow at the gape; tarsi and feet bright yellow. Length 11*0 ; wing 5*4 ; tail 2*7 ; culmen -80 ; tarsus 1*4. The female has a black superciliary line running above the eyes and ear-coverts, which nearly joins a second one ; this commencing on the lores and running below the eye, passes down the neck and then across to join its fellow, circumscribing the white throat ; the back is much more chestnut than in the male ; the breast is reddish- chestnut v^ith very narrow yellow shaft lines : as a rule the tarsus bears no spurs. Distribution. — The Coqui was first discovered and described by Sir Andrew Smith from the neighbourhood of Kurrichane, in the present Rustenburg district of the Transvaal ; it is found throughout that Colony (especially in the bushveld), Bechuanaland, Rhodesia and Natal, extending to the Okavango River and southern Angola in one direction, and through Nyasaland, and German and British East Africa, as far as Mombasa in the other. The following are recorded localities : Natal — near Durban (Shelley and Millar), Howick (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Potchef- stroom and Rustenburg (Ayres), Barberton (Rendali), Zoutspansberg (S. A. Mus.) ; Bechuanaland — Kanye (Exton, in S. A. Mus.), Ba.mangwato (Buckley), Ngamiland (Bryden) ; Rhodesia— Buluwayo (Ayres), Zambesi (Bradshaw), near SaHsbury (Marshall). Habits. — This, the smallest and perhaps the handsomest of the South African Francolins, is usually found "in small coveys of from 6 to 12 individuals ; it frequents open bush country where the grass is fairly short and the ground is dotted with scrub, and is seldom far PHASIANIDiE FRANCOLINUS 199 from water." It has a shrill call-note, somewhat resembling its name, heard usually in the early morning and evening, and likened t)y most observers to that of the English partridge. It roosts on the ground, and several usually nestle together for warmth, but it will occasionally resort to trees when disturbed. Its food consists of seeds, berries and insects, such as beetles, coccidae and ants. It affords good sport, but sits very close, and can only be flushed with a good dog. Three eggs of this species, now in the South African Museum, were sent by Mr. Eriksson from Mataeko on the Omaramba River about 150 miles from its junction with the Okavango in Ondonga ; the nest was under a bush in a small cavity. The eggs are a very pale greenish .white, somewhat conical in shape, and the shell is exceedingly thick and hard ; they measure 1"5 x 1'2. The flesh is excellent eating. Mr. Millar writes ** These birds are plentiful throughout Natal, although more partial to the coast lands ; they are resident all the year round. Old mealie fields and Kaffir gardens are their favourite haunts, the coveys consisting of three or four brace ; they seldom settle in trees, although they occasionally run into cover. The cock bird calls frequently during the day, uttering a loud, defiant note, atid is. said to be very pugnacious, its spurs being long and pointed. These birds nest in the open grass. The last clutch coming under my observation consisted of five eggs, creamy white in colour, and almost round in shape, and measuring 1-25 X 1*0. They were slightly incubated when found on March 10." 648. Francolinus sephsena. Crested Francolin. -^' Perdix sephaena, S^nitli, Bep. Exped. C. Afr. p. 55 (1836). Francolinus pileatus, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 14 (1838) ; Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 272 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 297 ; FinscJi Sf Hartlauh, Vog. Ost-Afr. p. 586 (1870)^ Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 282 ; Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 386; Oates, Matabeleland, p. 323 (1881); Holub d Pelz. Orn. 8ild-Afr. p. 186 (1882) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 360 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 593 (1884) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 292 ; W. Aijres, Ibis, 1887, p. 61 [Lehtaba River] ; Schaeclc, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 355 (1891) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 103 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Camera, p. 473 (1893). Francolinus sephoena, Neivton, Ibis, 1868, p. 269 ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 146 (1893) ; id. Game Birds, i, p. 113 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 180 (1896) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 446 ; Woodward Bros. Ibis, 1900, p. 518 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 495 (1901). 200 PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS Scleroptera pileata, Giirney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 247 (1872). "Inkwali " of the Zulus (Millar). Description. Male. — Crown of the head dark olive-brown, bounded on each side by a band of white, running back from behind the eye ; centre of the back and wing-coverts rich chestnut with conspicuous white shaft stripes ; quills dark brown with paler outer webs ; rump and upper tail-coverts dark olive-brown ; central tail-feathers brown, lateral ones almost black, dark chestnut towards the base ; chin and throat white, cheeks spotted with pale rufous ; under parts pale buff, the feathers of the lower parts of the throat and upper breast with dark chestnut wedge-shaped shaft spots, those of the lower breast and flanks finely pencilled with pale brown. Iris hazel ; bill dark brown ; legs red, a sharp and stout spur on the tarsus. Length 12-25 ; wing 6-4 ; tail 3-55 ; culmen -95 ; tarsus 1-9. The female differs from the male in having no spurs and in the centre of the back, wing and tail-coverts being finely barred and vermiculated with brown and black. Young males resemble the females, but are provided with spurs. * Distribution. — The Crested Francolin, like the Coqui, was also first discovered by Sir Andrew Smith, in very much the same country, i.e., the Marico and Eustenburg districts of the Transvaal. It is spread over Bechuanaland, as far as the Zambesi and Southern Angola in one direction, and in the other as far as Zululand and Southern Mozambique. In East Africa it is replaced by other closely allied species. The following are localities: Zululand — Dukuduku bush" (Woodward) ; Transvaal — Marico and Limpopo Eivers (Smith, Ayres and Gates), Lehtaba Eiver in Zoutspansberg (W. Ayres) ; Bechuanaland — Kanye (Exton in S. A. Mus.), Macloutse Eiver (Gates), Gokwe Eiver (Ayres); German South-west Africa — Okamabute (Andersson) ; Portuguese East Africa— Metacania and Mesangue on the Zambesi (Alexander), Inhambane (Peters). Habits. — The Crested Francolin seems everywhere to be a some- what scarce bird. It is shy and retiring, and is generally to be found in the dense undergrowth running along the banks of rivers ; it usually occurs in small coveys and is diflicult to flush ; it takes refuge in trees, and there with crest erect and tail uplifted it gives vent 10 a harsh metallic " Chiraka." Like others of the genus, its PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 201 food consists of small bulbs, seeds, berries and insects, and its flesh is excellent eating. No observer has hitherto described Xhe nest and eggs. Mr. Millar met with these birds plentifully in Zululand on the White Umvolosi River, near its junction with the Black Umvolosi ; he found them shy, and so much addicted to close cover that they were difficult to procure. 649. Francolinus africanus. Grey-iving or Cape Partridge. Perdix ah-a, {nee Midi.), Lath. hid. Oni. ii. p. 648 (1790). Francolinus africanus, Steph. in Shaw's Genl. Zool. xi, p. 323 (1819) ; Grant, Ibis, 1892, p. 43 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 152 (1893) ; id. Game Birds, i, p. 117 (1895) ; Shelley, B. Afr. \, p. 181 (1896) ; Woodward Bros. Natal Birds, p. 162 (1899) ; Gates, Cat. B. Eggs, i, p. 38 (1901). Francolinus afer,P. L. Sclater, P. Z. S. 1866, p. 23 [Cathcart division] ; Laijard, B. S. Afr. p. 270 (1867) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1875, p. 84; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 208; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 323 (1881); Holiib dt Pelz. Orn. Siid-Afr. p. 188 (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 595 (1884) ; Bryden, Kloof and Karoo, p. 312 (1889) ; Scliaeck, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 351 (1891) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 101 (1892) ; Beichenow, Vog.Afr. i, p. 485 (1901) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1904, p. 3 [Deelfontein] . " Patrijs" or " Berg Patrijs" of the Dutch ; " Intendele " or " Isikwat- sha " of the Amaxosa (Stanford) also applied to the Kedwing ; " Khuale " of Basutos (Murray). Descrlp)tion. Male. — Crown and nape black, varied with pale rufous edgings to most of the feathers ; sides of the neck barred with black and white, with a patch of rufous in between it and the base of the nape ; rest of the upper surface greyish-brown clouded here and there. with darker brown, and with narrow bars of pale chestnut-brown and longitudinal shaft streaks of pale buff ; primaries uniform brown on the inner web, slightly mottled with rufous on the outer ; chin and throat white, barred with black, especially at the sides and below ; a narrow line of rufous running from the lores below the eye, through the ear-coverts along the side of the neck, separate this from the black and w^hite patches at the side of the neck ; upper breast pale rufous with dark rich chestnut spots plenti- fully disposed, especially along the sides of the breast and flanks ; lower breast white and dark chestnut, the former chiefly in spots, the latter chiefly in rings, giving an ocellated appearance to this 202 PHASIANIDJS FEANCOLINUS part ; thighs and under tail-coverts barred with buffy white and black. Iris light brown ; bill brown ; legs and feet yellowish-brown ; a short, stout tarsal spur. Length 14-0; wing 6*0; tail 2-60; culmen I'Oo ; tarsus 1-6. The female differs only in having no spurs ; wing 5*75 ; tarsus 1-5. The young birds have white throats and paler lower mandibles. Distrihution. — The Grey-wdnged Francolin is found throughout the greater part of Cape Colony, the Orange Eiver Colony, the southern parts of the Transvaal and the upper and more elevated portions of Natal. The following are recorded localities ; Cape Colony — Cape, Stellenbosch, Caledon, Paarl and Hanover divisions (S. A. Mus.), Beaufort West (Layard), Deelfontein in Eichraond (Sloggett), Port EHzabeth (Rickard), Grahamstown, Dordrecht (Trevelyan), Cathcart (Boulger) ; Natal — Spurs of Drakensberg (Millar and Woodward) ; Transvaal — near Standerton (Gates), Lydenburg and Potcbefstroom (Barratt). Habits. — The Cape Partridge is usually found on open stony ground at low elevations in maritime districts, but in the interior chiefly about the mountain sides. It is generally in coveys of from 12 to 16 birds, and when flushed rises quickly and flies off strongly, but rarely goes far. It feeds early and late, digging up bulbs and roots with its powerful bill, and also devouring insects. It some- times ravages freshly sown meahe and corn fields. During the middle of the day it usually rests in sheltered places. The nest, a loose structure of grass roots, sometimes lined with feathers, is placed on the ground in a depression usually under the shelter of bushes or among high stuff. The eggs, from 6 to 8, or even 12 in number, are greenish or dark brown minutely spotted with brown pin-points and measure from 1*60 to 1-55 x 1*2 to 1-15. Mr. Millar states that in Natal this bird is known as the Berg Grey-wing from the fact of its being found only in the vicinity of the Drakensberg ; when flushed they are usually on the brow of the hill, and all rising together with a shrill, squeaky alarm, dive quickly round the corner, and are out of sight before a shot can be fired ; if, however, they can be marked down they will rise singly and then afford good sport. PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 203 650. Francolinus levaillanti. Gape BedwingJa/^J^^l^^'^vf^ Perdix levaillanti, Valenc. Diet. Sci. Nat. xxxviii, p. 441 (1825). Perdix levaillantoides, Smith, Re}). Exped. Centr. Afr. p. 55 (1836). Francolinus levaillanti, Smith, Illus. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 85 (1843) ; Gurneij, Ibis, 1864, p. 354, 1865, p. 274 [NatalJ ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 270 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 375 ; Butler, Feilden and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 338 ; Sharpe, ed. Laijard's B. S. Afr. p. 596 (1884) ; Brijden, Kloof and Karoo p. 313 (1889) ; Grant, Ibis, 1890, p. 347, 1892, p. 45 ; Schaech, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 338 (1891) ; Distant, Transvaal, p. 75 (1892) ; Nicolls ^ Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 100 (1892) ; Grant, Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 154 (1893) ; id. Game Bds. i, p. 119 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal Birds, p. 161 (1899) ; Reichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 484 (1901) ; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 235. "Kedwing" of the Colonists, "Hill Eedwing " of Natal, " Itendele " of the Zulus (Millar). Description. Adult Male. — Crown of the head dusky-brown, bounded on each side by a superciliary stripe of black and white feathers, which extend down on both sides and coalesce in the middle of the nape and run on to the mantle, separating the rufous neck patches ; general colour of the upper surface brown and black with narrow transverse bars of pale rufous and longitu- dinal shaft stripes of a somewhat lighter shade; primaries, their coverts and secondaries light chestnut, slightly mottled with brown at the tips ; space in front of the eye continued above it and the ear-coverts to a considerable patch on either side of the neck rusty-brown, below this is a narrow line of black and white feathers running from the lores below the eye, through the ear-coverts and down the neck to the upper breast, there forming a considerable patch of white feathers edged and tipped with black ; centre portion of the chin and throat white, surrounding portion pale rusty ; rest of the lower surface pale buff, the feathers of the breast edged with chestnut ; those of the flanks and under tail-coverts barred with very dark brown. Iris hazel ; bill dusky yellow at the base ; legs dull yellow ; spurs present or absent, but generally small. Length 13'0 ; wing 6-55 ; tail 3*0 ; tarsus 1-7 ; culmen 1-1. The sexes are alike, but the female is usually without spurs. Distribution. — The Cape Redwing is not found north of the Lim- popo, and seems to be most abundant in Cape Colony. Even here it is somewhat local, being chiefly confined to the southern districts, and it does not appear to reach the more westerly or north-western 204 PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS portions of the Colony. It has not been obtained, so far as I am aware, in the neighbourhood of Cape Town or to the northwards. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Swellen- dam (Layard), Riversdale and Mossel Bay (Atmore), Port Eliza- FiG. 64. — Nest and eggs with female of the Cape Redwing, from a photograph taken by Mr. R. H. Ivy near Grahamstown. beth and East London (Rickard), Willowmore (Bryden) and King WilUam's Town (Trevelyan and Pym), Orange River near Aliwal North, common (Whitehead) ; Natal— plentiful in the upper dis- PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 205 tricts (Ayres), Newcastle (Reidj ; Orange River Colony — Krqonstad (Brit. Mus.) ; Transvaal— Vaal River near Potchefstroom (Brit. Mus.), Pretoria (Distant), near Barberton (Gilfillan). Habits. — The Cape Redv^ing is a somewhat locally distributed bird, being plentiful in some districts and entirely absent in others ; it is usually met with in small coveys of from five to eight individuals, generally in secluded valleys, where there is plenty of long grass and rushes ; Layard particularly mentions its preference for the thick palmiet beds, w^hich are so often found along the rivers of the southern part of the Colony ; everyone remarks that it lies very close and requires a very good dog to flush it, and that after this has been done once it is almost impossible to make it rise again, so much so that if carefully marked down it can almost be caught in the hand. Its flight is rapid and strong. The call-note, heard morning and evening, is loud and harsh, and its food consists chiefly of small bulbous roots. The nest is usually well hidden in a depression in the ground among long grass, generally not far from water ; the eggs, five to eight in number, vary somewhat, but are usually a dark tawny, spotted throughout with dark brown. Whitehead found a fresh egg in December, and young birds a few weeks' old in June, so that they appear to breed most of the year. In Natal Mr. Millar states that the Redwing is found on the higher levels from about ten miles inland from the coast. The coveys consist of two or three brace, and the birds sit very close until flushed, when they fly to a considerable distance. Their call- note, though resembling that of F. shelleyi, is not so distinct, and can be readily distinguished. Mr. Wood tells me that this FrancoHn is found in fair numbers about East London, though at times, when there is much dry weather about the breeding season, tbey become rather scarce. They are particularly fond of the bulbs of Gladiolus and Watsonia, and are generally to be found where these are growing in any numbers. They nest in the long grass, in the vicinity of water and lay from eight to ten eggs, pairing in early August. 65i^ Francolinus gariepensis. Orange Biver Francolin. Francolirms gariepensis, Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pis. 83, 84 (1843) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 272 (1867) ; Ayres, Ibis, 1873, p. 282 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' s B. S. Afr. p. 599 (1884), [in part] ; Ayres, Ibis, 1886, p. 292 ; Schaech, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 340 (1891) ; Grant, lUs, 1890, p. 347, 1892, p. 45; id. Cat. B. M- xxii, p. 15^ 206 PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS (1893) ; id. Game Bds. i, p. 120 (1896) ; Nicolls ^^ Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 101 (1892) ; Bnjden, Gun and Camera, pp. 99, 468 (1893) ; Shelleij, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896) ; Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 488 (1901). Francolinus levaillanti {nee Valenc), Ay res, Ibis, 1871, p. 261. "Redwing" of Colonists, applied to this species as well as to F. levaillanti. Description. Male. — Crown of head dark brown edged with rufous-brown ; round the hind neck a somewhat vaguely defined collar of pale rufous; rest of the upper parts ashy-brown, suffused in the middle of the back with a richer brown ; all the feathers with longitudinal shaft stripes and transverse bands of pale rufous ; primaries, primary coverts and secondaries brown, mottled with chestnut; two narrow bands of black and white mottled feathers starting in front of the eye run above and below ; the lower one of the two meets its fellow in the middle line, enclosing the white chin and throat, the other ends in a patch of the same colour on each side of the base of the neck ; ear-coverts and space between the two bands pale rufous ; below pale buff throughout, feathers of the breast and flanks heavily blotched with dark rich chestnut, and some of those of the upper breast margined with black as well ; under tail-coverts and sometimes the lower flanks banded with black. Iris hazel, bill dark horn, nearly black, legs dull yellowish-brown. A sharp tarsal spur. Length about 13-0; wing 6-5 ; tail 3-0; culmen 1*0; tarsus 1-6. The female only differs from the male in being unprovided with spurs, though sometimes possessing a blunt knob in their place. Distribution. — The Orange Eiver Francolin was first obtained by Sir A. Smith, at the head waters of the Caledon River, in what is now Basutoland ; it has not been found south of the Orange Eiver ; northwards it occurs through Griqualand West, Bechuanaland, Orange River Colony and the Southern Transvaal, its place being taken by other closely allied species to the westwards and east- wards. The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Griqualand West (S. A. Mus.), Maritzani River near Mafeking (Bryden) ; Orange River Colony — Basutoland (Smith), Vredefort Road (B. Hamilton) ; Transvaal — Potchefstroom and Limpopo River (Ayres), Christiana (B. Hamilton). Habits. — This Francolin is usually found on grassy slopes and among low kopjes not far from river courses, it has a long and shrill PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 207 cry generally heard in early morning and about sundown ; jt Ues well, but does not appear to be difficult to flush ; it is a strong flyer and is very good eating. Ayres found it nesting in rough grass in a dry plaoe not far from water ; the eggs are dark tawny spotted with brown ; they are somewhat abruptly pointed at the short end and measure 1-43 X 1-06. /(^(^ St lu^dj^ZU.^ payu^/^.6or^/04^ ^^iUlu^^lorr 652. Francolirius jugularis. Buttihofer' s Francolin.C^ A Francolinus gariepensis {nee Smith), Strichl. and Scl. Contrih. OrnitJi. 1852, p. 157 ; Fleclc, Journ. Ornith. 1894, pp. 378, 391. Scleroptera gariepensis, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral. p. 245 (1872). Francolinus jugularis, Biittilcofer, Notes Leyd. Mus. xi, pp. 76, 77, pi. 4 (1889); Schaeck, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv,'p. 342 (1891); Grant, Ibis, 1890, p. 348, 1892, p. 45 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 156 (1893) ; id. Game Bds. i, p. 121 (1896); Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896); Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 489 (1901). Description. — Closely resembling F. gariepensis, but rather paler both above and below and with the chestnut spots on the breast hardly developed except on the upper chest and flanks, where they are much smaller and less conspicuous. Length 13-0; wing 6-9 ; tail 3*20; tarsus 1-45; culmen 1-1. Distribution — This bird takes the place of the Orange River Francolin in the extreme western portion of our area, being found throughout German South-west Africa and Southern Angola. It was obtained at Rehebobh in Gt. Namaqualand by Andersson, and at Mutschumi in the Kalahari by Fleck. Habits. — Andersson gives the following account : ** I only met with this beautiful Francolin on the high tablelands of Damara and Great Namaqualand, but there it is frequently very abundant in coveys usually of six or eight individuals, though sometimes as few as three birds, and at others as many as fourteen compose the covey. '* These Francolins invariably frequent grassy slopes sprinkled with dwarf bush; they lie very close, and after having been once or twice flushed, are not easily found again, even with the assistance of dogs. They feed on bulbs, grass, berries and seeds, and their flesh is very good for the table." Fleck, who gives us a somewhat similar account, states that it 208 PHARIANID^ FRANCOLINUS has a loud cry, heard in early morning and shortly after sundown, as follows : *' 0-ti-pidlib, 0-ti-pidlid, O-ti-pidhb." t^ "^^^ ^''' •' ^ ^ 653. Francolinus shelleyi. Shelley s FrancoUn. Francolinus gariepensis (nee Smith) Shelleij, Ibis, 1882, p. 361 [Umfuli Elver] ; Butler, Feilden, and Beid, Zool. 1882, p. 338. Francolinus shelleyi, Grant, Ibis, 1890, p. 348, 1892, p. 45 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 157, pi. 6 (1893) ; id. Game Birds, i, p. 121 (1896) ; Schaecl, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 347 (1891) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896) ; Marshall, Ibis, 1900, p. 262 ; Beichenoiu, Vog. Afr. i, p. 490 (1901). Francolinus levaillanti, Woodward. Bros. Natal B. p. 161 (1899). "Thorn Eed-wing " of Natalians ; " Isendele " of the Zulus (Millar). Description. — Much resembling F. gariepensis on the upper surface but rather darker and blacker; below the throat is white surrounded by the usual black line, usually with a patch of black and white feathers on the crop ; the chest and flanks are chestnut, most of the feathers with paler inner webs barred with black ; the centre of the breast is mottled black and white, the black in V- shaped markings, tending to form transverse bars ; thighs, vent and under tail- coverts pale buff irregularly barred ^vith darker. Iris dark brown, bill grey, base of lower mandible yellow, legs yellow ; a sharp tarsal spur, Length about 12-0 ; wing 6*8 ; tail 3-10 ; tarsus 1-4 ; culmen 1-2. The female is like the male, but has no spur, or only a blunt tubercle. Distribution. — Shelley's Francolin replaces the Orange River Francolin on the eastern side of our region, extending from Natal to Mashonaland ; north of the Zambesi it has been found in Nyasa- land and German East Africa, as far north as Zanzibar. The following are recorded localities : Natal — near Durban, June (Millar), near Colenso, November (Reid); Swaziland (Buckley); Rhodesia — Umfuli River, September, whence came the type (Ayres), Chiromwe on the Zambesi (Stoehr in S. A. Mus.) ; Portu- guese East Africa— Inhambane (Peters). Habits. — Mr. Millar informs me that this bird is generally distributed throughout Natal, frequenting the coast-lands as well as the ** thorns" up country; like most other Francolins it calls at dawn and late at night with a clear and distinct whistle. The PHASIANID^ FEANCOLINUS 209 covey consists as a rule of two or three brace; they nest in the grass or in the vicinity of some old field which they frequent ;~^^. Millar found a nest on August 8, which contained five fresh eggs these were minutely spotted, and measured 1-5 x 1*0. Mr. J. ffolliott Darling writes me that this Francolin is widely distributed in Mashonaland and is found in every sort of country, except near the vleis ; it is probably most abundant in lightly wooded country ; sometimes a covey will haunt a bare kopje without a bush on it or scarcely a blade of grass ; there the birds would hide between the stones and rocks, and so close do they lie, even when a dog points to them, that it is often possible to catch them in the hand ; the Mashonas often follow them and, watching where they pitch, kill them with sticks. They are fond of digging up roots of grass in the dry season and become very fat in consequence ; they also gorge themselves on locusts. The nest is a slight structure of dry grass in a shallow depression, sometimes in the open, sometimes under the shelter of a * small bush. Mr. Darling has found eggs in every month from June to November, and states that the clutches average four. , 654. Francolinus adspersus. Bed-hilled Francolin. Francolinus adspersus, Waterlwuse^ in Alexander'' s Exped. Int. Afr ii, p. 267, with fig. (1838) ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 269 (1867) ; id. Ibis, 1869, p. 375 ; Sharpe, ed. Layard' sB. S. Afr. p. 590 (1884) ; SchaecJc, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 353 (1891) ; Grant, Ibis, 1892, p. 46 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 159, pi. vii, (1893) ; id. Game Birds, i, p. 124 (1896) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Simrtsm. S. Afr. p. 104 (1892); Bryden, Gun and Camera, pp. 282, 470 (1893) ; Fleck, Journ. Ornith. 1894, pp. 242-3, 391 ; Shelley B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896); Beichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 474 (1901). Scleroptera adspersa, Gurney, in Andersson's B. Damaral, p. 247 (1872). Descriptio?i. Adult Male. — Whole of the upper surface, except the upper part of the mantle finely vermiculated, with brown and dirty white ; primaries brown, not vermiculated ; lores and feathers in front of the eye nearly black ; whole of the lower surface, including the sides of the neck and mantle, very finely barred with brown and white. Iris brown, bare skin round eye pale yellow, bill, legs and feet coral red ; toes and spurs purple ; tarsus with sharp spur in the male. Length 13-0; wing 70 ; tail 3-5; culmen 1-07; tarsus 1-7. 14 ^ /? , VOL. IV. 210 PHASIANID^ FKANCOLINUS Young birds have the mantle similar to the rest of the upper parts ; some of the scapulars blotched with black at the extremities, and the under parts brownish white, finely vermiculated with black ; the bill is dark purple and legs paler than in the adult. Dlstribtction. — The Eed-billed Francolin was first obtained by Sir James Alexander in the early part of the last century in Great Namaqualand ; it is spread all over German South-west Africa as far as southern Angola, and extends eastw^ards throughout the Northern Kalahari to the upper waters of the Limpopo and Marico Eivers in the North-west Transvaal. The following are localities : Transvaal — Limpopo and Marico Eivers (Nicolls and EgHngton) ; Bechuanaland — north of Molopo (Bryden), Notwani Eiver (Nicolls and Eglington), BotletU Eiver (Bryden) ; German South-west Africa— Great Fish Eiver in Great Namaqualand (Alexander, type), Otjimbinque and Walvisch Bay (Andersson in Bt. and S. A. Mus.). Habits. — This bird, which replaces the so-called Pheasant of the Colony in German South-west Africa and the Kalahari is found in coveys of from ten to fourteen individuals usually in very thick bush and never far from water ; it is one of the most difficult of the Francolins to flush, and when this is done, it almost invariably takes refuge among the thickest branches of a tree or bush, where it remains motionless and concealed till the danger is past. It is a very swift runner, and is not shy, beiog seen not in- frequently among Native kraals picking up fallen grain. It feeds early in the morning and late in the evening on seeds, berries and insects ; its voice is a " succession of hysterical laughs, at first slow, but increasing in rapidity and strength till suddenly they cease." The eggs are laid on the ground, in a slight hollow under the shelter of a bush. Fleck found one nest with ten, another with only four eggs ; in the latter case incubation was almost com- pleted. The eggs are stated by Layard to be rather peculiarly shaped, being truncated at both ends, and the shell being very thick, dense and heavy ; the colour is a pale creamy white and the measurements 1-6 x I'l. 655. Francolinus capensis. Noisy Francolin or Cape Pheasant. Tetrao capensis, Gmelin, Syst. Nat. i, p. 759 (1788). Perdix clamator, Temm. Pig. et Gall, iii, pp. 298, 717 (1815). Perdix capensis, Burchell, Travels i, p. 270 (1822) ; Grill, K. Vet. Al-ad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 52 (1858). Francolinus clamator, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 268 (1867) ; Sharpe, ed PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 211 LayarcVs B. S. Afr. pp. 591, 854 (1884) ; Bryden, Kloof and Karoo, p. 308 (1889) ; Nicolls and Eglington, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 105rfigT 42 (1892). Francolinus capensis, Shelley, Ibis, 1875, pp. 62, 85 ; SchaecTi, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 343 (1891) ; Grant, Ibis, 1892, p. 48 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 165 (1893) ; id. Game Birds i, p. 129 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896); Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i, p. 473 (1901); Gates, Cat. B. Eggs B. M. i, p. 39 (1901). " Pheasant " of the English, " Fazant " of the Dutch Colonists. Description. Adult Male. — Above very dark brown, almost black, the feathers of the crown slightly edged and tipped with lighter, those of the back and wrings with V-shaped or narrow wavy bands Fig. 65. — Head of Francolinus cajiensis. x j- of ashy or pale rufous-white giviug a scaly look to the upper surface ; feathers of the sides of the face and neck, chin and throat black edged with white ; feathers of the upper breast marked like those of the back ; lower breast and rest of the lower surface black with conspicuous white shaft marks and white edgings and mottlings to all the feathers. Iris reddish-brown ; bill dark horn, lower mandible orange to yellow ; legs dark yellow ; tarsus usually with a pair of blunt spurs. Females as a rule without spurs, though in exceptional cases, probably very old birds, they are sometimes found. 212 PHASIANID^ FEANCOLINUS Length (female) 16-5 ; wing 7*75; tail 3'7o ; tarsus 2-25 ; culmen 1-1 ; the male is a little larger, wing 8-0 ; tail 4-10. Distribution. — This is the largest of the South African Fran- colins ; it is found only within the Cape Colony, and chiefly in the southern and south-western portions of it. The following are localities. Cape Colony — Cape division (Victorin), Stellenbosch, Worcester and Caledon (S. A. Mus.), Ceres and Tulbagh (L. Peringuey), Uitenhage (Bryden), Karee river in Sutherland (Burchell), Orange river (Bradshaw). , This Francolin is very abundant on Eobben Island in Table Bay, where it was introduced many years ago. Habits. — The Cape Pheasant is found chiefly in the maritime districts ; it is especially abundant in bushy kloofs and along .water courses, where there is a thick growth of rank vegetation and low underwood. It is common in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town. Like the Eed-billed Francolin it is flushed with great difficulty, preferring to squat or to run when possible ; it resorts to the lower branches of thick trees, and there remains concealed just beyond the reach of dogs ; like other Francolins it feeds early and late on tender shoots, especially of green fern, as well as on grain and on insects. Its voice is a loud and drawn out chuckle, generally heard when disturbed and flying off to shelter. The nest is placed on the ground, usually under a bush ; eight to fourteen eggs are laid of a greenish-brown or brownish-cream colour; they measure 1*95 to 1-8 x 1*5 to 1-4, according to Gates. 656. Francolinus natalensis. Natal Francolin. Francolinus natalensis, Smith, S. Afr. Quart. Journ. ii, p. 48 (1834) ; id. Illus. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. 13 (1838) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1860, p. 214 [Natal] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 273 (1867) ; Gurney, Ibis, 1868, p. 467 [Transvaal] ; Layard, Ibis, 1869, p. 375 ; BucMey, Ibis, 1874, p. 387 ; Drmnmond, Large Game, p. 414 (1875) ; Barratt, Ibis, 1876, p. 209 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1880, p. 110 ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 323 (1881) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 592 (1884) ; Aijres, Ibis, 1886, p. 292 ; Schaeck, Mem. Soc. Zool. Fr. iv, p. 345 (1891) ; Nicolls and Egliiigton, Sportsm. S. Afr. p. 105, pi. xi, fig. 53 (1892) ; Bryden, Gun and Caniera, p. 473 (1893) ; Grant, Ibis, 1892, p. 49 ; id. Cat. B. M. xxii, p. 166 (1893) ; id. Gayne Birds i, p. 130 (1896) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 181 (1896) ; Woodward Bros., Natal B. p. 162 (1899) ; Alexander, Ibis, 1900, p. 446 ; Beichenoiv, Vog. Afr. i. p. 475 (1901). PHASIANID^ FRANCOLINUS 213 Perdix lechoho, Smith, Rep. Exped. C. Afr. p. 54 (1836). ^^ : "Coast Partridge" of Natal; " Namaqua Pheasant" of Transvaal Boers ; " Insekvehle " of Zulus ; " Lesogo " {i.e., Lesoho) of Bechuanas. Description. Adult. — Crown sepia-brown, sides and nape of the neck darker brown with whitish edgings to the feathers ; rest of the upper surface pale brown, vermiculated with darker, most of the feathers of the mantle and wings with reddish-brown shafts and conspicuous dark brown shaft-marks, primaries brown not mottled ; ear-coverts buffy-brown, sides of the face and neck, chin and throat white spotted with black ; rest of the lower surface white, barred and mottled with black, varying in arrangement from transverse to V-shaped bars in different individuals. Iris dark hazel ; bill and. legs coral-red ; male with one or two tarsal spurs ; if the latter the second pair blunt ; females usually without spurs. Length 13-5 ; wing 6-75 ; tail 3*5 ; tarsus 1*9 ; culmen 1-05. The female is smaller, wing 6*3. Distrihutio7i. — The Natal Francolin takes the place of the Cape Pheasant in the Eastern portion of our area, being found in Natal, Swaziland, the Transvaal and Bechuanaland, and extending proba- bly to Khodesia, though not yet definitely recorded thence ; it has been met with, however, on the Zambesi by Alexander. The following are recorded localities : Natal— near Durban (Smith, type, and Ayres) ; Transvaal— Swaziland (Bt. Mus.), Lim- popo and Marico river (Smith and Ayres), Rustenburg (Ayres); Bechuanaland — Mahura's country (Arnot), Makalapsi river in Bamangwato (Gates) ; Portuguese East Africa — Matacania on the Zambesi (Alexander). Habits. — Like the Cape Pheasant and the Red-billed Francolin, this is essentially a bush-loving bird, being found only where there is dense underwood, as along the courses of rivers or in Natal along the sea coast. It is a good runner and shy and difficult to obtain ; at night it roosts in the trees, while, if flushed, its flight is straight and strong. It feeds at sunrise and sunset on seeds and insects, and is often seen in the neighbourhood of native kraals, where it resorts to obtain Kaffir corn. The Woodwards state that its call is a pleasing one ; Ayres likens it to that of the Guinea fowl. Two eggs sent to Mr. Layard from Mahura's Country by Mr. Arnot and now in the South African Museum are somew^hat rounded very pale brown and immaculate, and measure 1-68 x 14. 214 PHASIANIDZE PTERNISTES Mr. Millar sends me the following note on this bird : ** The Natal Pheasant is very common and plentiful along the coast ; it frequents bush -land, cane-fields and deserted ground ; the coveys usually consist of two or three brace, and when flushed nearly always make for the bush, settling on trees and brambles and wait- ing until the danger has passed, when they call to one another and again congregate. The note is loud and harsh, several of the covey often joining in the chorus. They nest on the ground, laying a creamy white egg measuring 1-75 x 1-25 ; a nest found on the 20th June near Durban contained three fresh eggs." Genus 11. PTERNISTES. Type. Pternistis, WagUr, Isis, 1832, p. 1229 P. nudicollis. This genus resembles Francolinus except for the fact that the throat is completely bare of feathers, and frequently brightly coloured. Nine species, all confined to Africa, are recognised by Grant ; of these, three are South African. Key of the Species. A. Feathers surrounding the bare throat not white nor contrasting with their neighbours. a. Feathers of the breast and belly with white centres and black or rufous edges P. nudicollis, p. 214. 6. Feathers of the breast and belly brown, with darker brown centres, and in some cases rufous- brown edgings P. swainsoiii, p. 217. B. Feathers surrounding the bare throat pure white, forming a marked ring .-. P. Jimnboldti, p. 216. 657. Pternistes nudicollis. Bed-necked Francolin. Tetrao nudicollis, Bodd. Tail. PI. Enl. p. 11