Mr. T. Ayres on the Ornithology of Transvaal. 2.29 



[The smaller race alluded to by Mr. Ayres appears to be 

 that to "which Vieillot gave the specific name of " velatus ;" 

 his description (' Encycloj)edie Methodiqne/ p. 701) agrees 

 better with it than "vvith the larger race, and he also speaks 

 of its occuiTcnce in Naraaqua Land_, which accords w^ith the 

 late Mr. Andersson^s remark that it "is common in Damara 

 Land and the parts adjacent^'' [vide ^ Birds of Damara Land/ 

 p. 1G9). The larger race, if admitted as subspecifically distinct, 

 will bear Sir A. Smith's name of " mnriquensis." 



I recorded the two races, under the names above mentioned, 

 in 'The Ibis' for 1871, p. 254; but in the volume for 1880, 

 p. 106, I applied, erroneously as I now believe, that of 

 " viteUinus ," instead of " velatus," to a Transvaal example of 

 the smaller race. 



I have taken the following measurements, which may be 

 worth recording : — 



H. onariquensis from Potcliefstroom. 



Wing. Tarsus. Culmen. 



in. in. 



0-90-1 -05 0-65-0-72 



0-80 0-62-0 -65 



H. velatus from Rustenburg. 

 Five males .... 2-90-3-20 0-70-0-85 O-oo-O-Go 



One female .... 2-80 0-75 0-60 



II. velatus from Damara Land. 

 One female .... 2-80 0-70 0-50 



Measurements taken by Mr. Andersson from three other 

 specimens of i/. velatus will be found at p. 170 of his notes 

 on the birds of Damara Land. — J. H. G.] 



Pyromelana TAHA (Smith). Taha Bishop-bird. 



Notwithstanding the multitudes of this species and of 

 P. oryx that were killed here during the very severe snow- 

 storm in our winter of 1881, their numbers now (April 1882) 

 seem to be but little diminished ; neither is Estrelda subflava 

 less numerous than usual, but Estrelda astrild and Vidua 

 erythrorhyncha are very noticeably thinned. The snow re- 



