BIRDS OF THE BUFFALO BASIN 201 



have no doubt belonged to this species. The cup-shaped 

 nest was suspended between two growing x>lant-stems 

 and contained two eggs. The owners were extremely 

 wary, reminding me by their cry and actions of the Euro- 

 pean Sedge-warbler. 



Bifdlijptcrus sylvaticus (Sund. ) — Knysna Reed-war- 

 bler. On IT 3Iay, 1912, on my return home, I found 

 among the birds brought in that day by my little hunters 

 a species of B radypterus quite unknown to me. I for- 

 warded it to the Transvaal Museum, where it was deter- 

 mined to be intermediate between B. syli-aticas and the 

 Pondoland form recently described b}' Haagner as B. 

 poiidoensis. As the specimen links up the two forms and 

 belongs moreover to a species but poorly represented in 

 collections, we must wait till further material is obtained 

 before we can definitely assert the existence of a sub 

 species or sort such out satisfactorily. The specimen, a 

 female, is now in the Albany Museum. No information 

 could be obtained regarding the habits of the bird, and 

 no second sijecimen was ever brought to me. 



Hcmipieryx rninuia Gunning — Gunning's Tinky. 

 Throughout the Avide stretches of open veld occurs 

 abundantly this small species of grass-warbler, which, 

 though known from time immemorial to the Kafirs under 

 the name of unonqane and in recent years under the 

 name of igqaza, remained unknown to science till de- 

 scribed by Dr. Gunning from Transvaal specimens in 

 1900. On the open veld below the Pirie forest. Gun- 

 ning's Tinky is abundant, and was brought to me in 

 numbers by the boys. 



Few birds can equal the tinky in hardiness. Tiny ball 

 of feathers though he is, he lives on the open veld, where 

 there is sometimes but scanty vegetation, and in this ex- 

 posed situation he defies all weathers. As the horseman 

 careers across the treeless country, he always casts a 

 pitying glance on the liardy little tinky that flutters up 

 from his horse's feet and flies a, few yards over the short 

 grass to settle again, or, as he watches the little fellow 



