Transvaal and Umzeilla's Country. 55 



I do not remember to have met with these birds before. 

 They seek their food on the ground, constantly flyiug up and 

 settHng on the lower branches of some convenient tree, and 

 then returning to the ground ; they are constantly on the 

 move, and are rather shy, flying, when disturbed, from tree 

 to tree, and not admitting of a near approach. 



[The above specimens agree in coloration and markings 

 with the description given by Mr. Sliarpe at p. 246 of his 

 edition of ^ Layard,^ and at p. 52 of vol. vii. of the British 

 Museum 'Catalogue,^ except that in the present female the 

 entire chin, throat (from one ear-covert to the other), and 

 jugulum are transversely, but somewhat irregularly, barred 

 with blackish brown. Both the above males measure 4*20 

 inches in the wing, and the female 3'70; the tarsus mea- 

 sures 1*10 in all three specimens. This species is, I think, 

 obviously a very near ally of S. monticola, and I can hardly 

 think that these two Chats ought to be geuerically separated 

 merely on account of a very slight difference in the propor- 

 tions of then* primaries ; but the present bird has been 

 referred to the genus Thamnolea, whilst the Mountain 

 AVheatear has been retained in that of Saxicola. Vide 

 Sharpens ' Layard,' p. 819.— J. H. G.] 



394. CiNNYRis GUTTURALis (Linn.). Natal Sun-bird. 



Male, shot at Umzingeilla^s, near the Olifants apd 

 Mashupan rivers (Transvaal), 1st July, 1885. 



Whilst trying for a shot at Sea-cows one morning, along 

 the Mashupan, 1 noticed several of these handsome little 

 birds busily extracting honey from the flowei's of a shrub in 

 blossom ; there was only a patch of it a few yards in circum- 

 ference, but this was alive with Sun-birds, and, besides the 

 present species, I noticed C. marujuensis and C. talatala. 

 The next day I went with my shot-gun and obtained the 

 specimen now sent; I subsequently saw two others near 

 BuflFels, but was not able to secure them. This is the first 

 time I have met with the Natal Sun-bird since leaving the 

 coast of Natal in 1870. 



