BIRDS OF THE BUFFALO BASIN 203 



of the thickness of mediuin thread to blades four milli- 

 metres in cross-measurement, all loosely put together 

 and sparsely used. Within this is an inner film con- 

 structed even more sparingly and loosely of thin wiry 

 stems up to strips of gTass nearly two mm. in diameter; 

 on the inner side of this frail shell is attached a silvery 

 lining of goat's hair Avith a little wool, the white cottony 

 Jieads of some veld plant and an odd feather or two. 

 Owing to the slim nature of the framework, the nest 

 generally goes to pieces when removed from its natural 

 position. In those nests seen by me in situ the tiny en- 

 trance-hole has been at the side of the nest; in one nest, 

 measured in position, the entrance hole was 21 mm. broad 

 by 28 mm, high. On account of the position of the 

 entrance-hole, Roberts has removed Gunning's Tinky to 

 the genus Cisticola. 



The complement of eggs is generally four, though some- 

 times three only, and occasionally five are laid. The eggs 

 vary greatly in colour, though those in the same nest are 

 generally coloured alike. A commion type at Pirie is 

 faint greenish-white in ground colour with minute 

 freckles of purplish-grey all over and a zone of the same 

 colour at the larger end, but the ground colour may be 

 pure white or of varying shades of blue and green; the 

 markings, in a few cases practically obsolete, vary in 

 other specimens from minute dots to large spots and 

 rarely, blotches of all shades of brown. 



In a large series of eggs from Pirie the measurements 

 vary from 17 mm. by 12 mm. to 13 mm. by 10 mm,, the 

 average being 15 mm, by 12 mm. 



The evidence derived from the snaring of the sitting 

 bird indicates that incubation is carried out wholly by 

 the female. 



Cisticola fulvicapilla (Vieill.) — Tawny-headed Grass- 

 warbler. — From its abundance and its lameness, the little 

 Neddiky ranks among our best-known birds. Its natural 

 home is among the rough vegetation bordering streams, 

 forestSj and cultivated land; and, wherever long grass is 



