froiti Kroonstacl, Orange Free State. 329 



lines ; all these markiugs, except those on the flanks, are 

 absent in the adults. 



The bill is oi'auge-red in this nestling and in other very 

 young specimens that I have seen, whilst in the adult birds 

 it is black on the upper and dusky on the under mandible. 



I have four young specimens but little older than that sent 

 by Mr. Symonds, of which one (a male) closely resembles 

 the Kroonstad specimen, but the other three, of which two 

 are males and one a female, are more or less hepatic on the 

 head, back, wings, and tail ; these four specimens were dis- 

 sected and sexed by Mr. Thomas Ayres. — J. H. G.] 



20. CoccYSTEs GLANDARius (Linn.). Great Spotted Cuckoo. 

 These Cuckoos are very common in Kroonstad in our 



summer, but are not seen in winter. In the early summer 

 months the males seem to chase each other about, making a 

 great chattering scolding sort of noise; this performance 

 becomes less as Christmas gets nearer, and I have never 

 heard it after the new year. They are very cunning birds, 

 hiding themselves in the thickest part of a tree, to which 

 they let you get close up and then slip away, taking good 

 care that the tree is between you and them till they are a 

 fair distance oft'. 



[Of three specimens sent by Mr. Symonds, one was shot 

 the 28th November, the others, one in December and one in 

 January. — J. H. G.] 



21. CoccYSTES JACOBiNus (Bodd.). Black-and-white 

 Cuckoo. 



The specimen sent and one other are all that I have seen 

 of this species here. 



22. PoGONORHYNCHus LEUCOMELAS (Dum.). Pied Barbct. 

 This species is fairly common here, but I do not send a 



specimen. The Black-collared Barbct (P. torquatus) I have 

 never seen in the Free State ; but I met with quite a flock of 

 them on the Yokeskey River, Transvaal, about five hours 

 south of Pretoria ; they were particularly noisy. 



