224 MR. R. E. SYMOXS 



Bird Life iu the Dralcensherg, Xatai and Basutoland. 

 By R. E. Sy.aioxs. 



AriYone interested in ornithologY Yisiting the Drakens- 

 berg for the first time, will probably remark on the 

 apparent scarcity of bird life. HowcYer, those species 

 which do come to his notice will proYe profoundly in- 

 teresting. There is no doubt that the Yariety of birds in 

 the mountains is not great, and can in no way compare 

 in point of numbers and beauty, with the birds of Zulu- 

 land or the coast belt of Xatal, but some Yery rare species 

 are to be found, especially on the Basutoland side of the 

 mountains. 



During nine years spent in the Drakensberg. as Game 

 ConserYator in charge of the Giant's Castle Game Re- 

 serYe, the writer has had ample time and opportunity 

 for studying, and making notes on, the aYifauna of the 

 district, especially as a great part of the time was spent 

 camped in the Mountains, either in Natal or in Basuto- 

 land. It is intended therefore, in this article to giYe a 

 list of the birds met with by the writer during his 

 residence at Giant's Castle, from 1900 to 1916. The 

 locality to be dealt with, will include the Game ReserYe, 

 which comprises some fifty thousand acres, lying along 

 the slopes of tlie mountains, between Giant's Castle and 

 Champagne Castle, the farm immediately adjoining the 

 ReserYe, and the Sanqebetu and Mkhotlong riYers in 

 Basutoland. The Sanqebetu RiYer rises on the Natal- 

 Basutoland border at Bushman's Pass, and joins the 

 Mkhotlong RiYer which rises at Giant's Castle, and is a 

 tributary of the Orange, the junction of these two riYers 

 being about forty miles from the Natal border. 



One of the most interesting places to Yisit is the Sanqe- 

 betu Valley in Basutoland, which is exceedingly well 

 stocked with bird life, and it AYas here that the waiter 

 was fortunate enough to discoYer a new species of siskin, 



