BIRDS OF THE BUFFALO BASIN 197 



silk strands of the finest texture. Where the birds ob- 

 tain the latter thread is to nie a mystery. The leaves 

 forming- the roof are i)ierced in many places, and the 

 threads are sometimes passed over the rim of the leaf to 

 bind the leaf-edge to the mioss in a neat little stitch; 

 often, however, the threads are knotted with a kind of 

 clot on the upper surface of the leaf. Between the leafj^ 

 root and the suspended cup an opening is left at one 

 end for an entrance, and the lower rim of the entrance- 

 hole is neatly woven with a cottony substance. The 

 ellipsoidal eggs, three, or sometimes two, in number, are 

 opaque white and unspotted. The average measurements 

 are 13.S x 19 mm. 



Apalis thoracica (Shaw and Nod.) — The Bar-throated 

 Warbler — is resident and widely distributed, haunting 

 not only the dense forests, but occurring also by scrub- 

 bordered streams, amongst the mimosa bushes and about 

 garden hedges. It occurs generally in pairs, and be- 

 trays no desire to gather in companies, but when 

 undisturbed clings tenaciously to its chosen haunts. 

 These little birds seldom hunt at any great height from 

 the ground, but search assiduously for their insect prey 

 amongst the undergrowth and about the lower parts of 

 the bushes. They are generally on the move from twig 

 to twig, but sometimes hang tit-like in an inverted posi- 

 tion to pick up, from a lower level, an insect within reach 

 of the down-stretched neck. Where unmolested, they 

 become quite fearless and prove themselves real friends 

 of the gardener ; one will even at times visit the verandah 

 of a dwelling house and hunt about the trellis-work for 

 the lurking insect-life. On the ground, where, however, 

 they are not often seen, they proceed by short hops in 

 recognised warbler-fashion. 



As they move about in the undergrowth, they keep 

 uttering a low call dyoop or cUjoont, which they fre- 

 quently lengthen out into lijoop-tvoop-tyoop. 



At the beginning of August, these Warblers assume 

 a noisy, rustling flight, probably associated with court- 



