40 Rev. Robert Godfrey 



incubation period of fourteen days. This bird is one of the 

 species chosen by the Red-chested Cuckoo to play the part of 

 foster mother to her young. 



Grey-backed Wagtail — M. longicauda Riipp. : This roost 

 delicately hued species was first detected in our area by Rickard, 

 who secured one on the Buffalo River, presumably at East 

 London, on 3rd January, 1871. Sharpe refers also to anofher 

 early record of one shot by Mr. F. A. Barrett near Kingwilliams- 

 town. At present resident pairs of this scarce species occur here 

 and there along the streams emerging from the forest, and at the 

 extreme south of our area a pair has occasionally been seen by Mr. 

 Wood in the Park at Elast London. These birds love a stretch of 

 river where shallow water flows over flat rocks, and, having once 

 chosen their quarters, they do not wander far from them and are 

 easily found a second time. As they trip along, v^th white-tipped 

 tails in perpetual motion, they add to the forest-stream an inde- 

 scribable charm which is enhanced when they mount up among 

 over-reaching trees and flit fairy-like among the branches. Unlike 

 the Cape wagtail, this species never — as far as my experience goes 

 — leaves the river side, but there it displays the same confiding 

 habits as its congeners. One has come within three yards of ne 

 as I rested on the rocks in the bed of the Pirie river, and it uttered 

 a note suggestive of a chicken's plaintive call. 



African Pied Wagtail — M. vidua Sund. : For the first local 

 record of this species we are indebted to Rickard, who procured 

 a male in full plumage at East London on 9th of June, 1870. 

 Nowadays the species occurs regularly at East London during 

 the winter months, June, July and August. They haunt not only 

 the foreshore, but also the road-way, and the precincts of the 

 harbour; they display the typical wagtail characteristics, tripping 

 daintily along in the search for insect food, and often uttering a 

 triple or quadruple note as they walk. The sharply contrasted 

 arrangements of black and white in their plumage shows the affinity 

 of this species to the Pied Wagtail of Britain, and at the same time 

 distinguishes it from the other local species. Our present inform- 

 ation does not enable us to determine its true status, but the late 

 Mr. John Wood twice met with it at a time when it might 



