I02 SOME BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



would be in such a stront; position as to defy its 

 enemies. 



I omitted to mention that on our previous visit to 

 the Bot River we saw some Great Crested Grebes, and 

 also a species of Reed-Warbler ; the latter was larger 

 than our Reed- Warbler in Enoland. but had a somewhat 

 similar song, though louder and deeper. 



A bird that I was disappointed in seeing nothing of 

 was the Bittern, not that it would be likely to come out 

 and show itself, but I thought we might possibly have 

 put one up in pushing about in the boat among the 

 reeds. I have never seen this bird in a wild state, but 

 accounts of it which I have read have always interested 

 me. Some of the tangled masses of dead reeds in parts 

 of this vley would seem to be specially suited to its 

 requirements, and here it might make its nest in the 

 almost impenetrable sedge, and simulate by its motion- 

 less attitude the dead vegetation which formed so much 

 of the surroundings. 



A small reptile with the habits of a lizard, while 

 possessing some of the peculiarities of a chameleon, 

 was frequently to be seen in the neighbourhood of Houw 

 Hoek, where it was far commoner than in any other 

 district that we visited. It had a brilliantly blue head, 

 and a white stripe down the middle of its back, and 

 these distinctive marks appeared to be always present, 

 but the most wonderful thing about it was its power of 

 mimicry in colour. If it were on an anthill its body 

 would assume a kind of clay-colour, while if it were on 

 rock which was marked with yellowish marks it would 

 appear with similar markings on it, and in one instance, 

 in which we found two or three of these small reptiles 



