A COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM GREAT NAMAQUA- 

 LAND, SOUTHWEST AFRICA 



By Herbert Friedmann 



Curator, Division of Birds, United States National Museum 



The small collection of birds reported upon in this paper was 

 gathered together by Mrs. L. O. Sordahl while stationed at the 

 astrophysical observatory established by the Smithsonian Institution 

 on Mount Brukkaros, in the Southwest African Protectorate. This 

 mountain, about 5,000 feet in height, is situated a short distance 

 north of Berseba in that part of the protectorate known as Great 

 Namaqualand. (PL 1.) Collecting was carried on as time and 

 opportunity permitted on the mountain, along the Fish River near 

 by, and at Berseba. 



So little ornithological work has been done in Great Namaqualand 

 in recent years that even a small collection such as the present one 

 reveals many points of interest. Of the 24 forms contained in it, 

 no less than 7 were new to the collections of the United States Na- 

 tional Museum, and 2 others were new to science. As far as I have 

 been able to discover, the eggs of Alarlo leucolaeraa have been taken 

 but rarely, and are thus of interest in adding to knowledge of the 

 breeding season of that bird. 



Great Namaqualand is an arid region with rather sparse vegeta- 

 tion, the conspicuous plants being the giant aloes and thorny bushes. 

 The rains come in the summer, and bring in their wake a temporary 

 freshness of vegetation. The breeding season, as far as known, of 

 most of the small birds is in the wet period. 



For the loan of specimens in connection with the present study 

 I am indebted to the authorities of the American Museum of Natu- 

 ral History, the Museum of Comparative Zoology, and the Academy 

 of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. The photographs illustrating 

 this paper (pi. 1) are from negatives by W. H. Hoover, of the 

 Division of Radiation and Organisms of the Smithsonian Institution. 



No. 2951— Proceedings U. S. National Museum, Vol. 82, Art. 10 



150261—33 1 



