in the Lydenbury District of Transvaal. 423 



The only bird of prey sent in the collection ; the Raptores 

 are but poorly represented at the Gold-fields. I, however, 

 observed there during my stay of a year and a half the fol- 

 lowing specieSj though many of them I saw but seldom, and 

 some only once : — Neophron percnopterus, Vultur occipitalis, 

 Otogyps auricularis, Gyps kolbi, Gypa'e'tus meridionalis, Buteo 

 jakal, Helotarsus ecaudatus, Serpentarius secretarius, Falco 

 biarmicus*, Tinnunculus ruficollis, Milvus parasiticus, Elanus 

 caruleus, and, I believe, also Accipiter melanoleucus. There 

 were two or three species of Owls that frequented the pre- 

 cipices and woods ; but I did not succeed in shooting any of 

 them. 



2. Caprimulgus europjEUS, Linn. European Goatsucker. 



A few of these Goatsuckers made their appearance about 

 our shanties during the summer months, having the noiseless 

 habits of the genus, hiding away amongst the bushes during 

 the day, and showing themselves just in the gloaming. 



[Mr. R. H. Sharpe, to whose kindness I am indebted for 

 examining several of the birds sent by Mr. Ayres, identifies 

 this specimen with C. europceus, to which species he also refers 

 C. smithi of Bonaparte. 



The present specimen is paler-coloured than ordinary British 

 examples, and, though a male, is destitute of white patches on 

 the tail and wings ; from which, and from the remarks re- 

 specting other South-African specimens in the first edition 

 of Mr. Layard's work (p. 47) , I infer that the young males 

 of C. europcBus must, during the first year, be destitute of 

 these white patches, and also that probably the young birds 

 of both sexes assume a paler hue than the normal tint of 

 British specimens during their first southern migration. 



For further information bearing upon this subject, I Avould 

 refer to Mr. Dresser's article on C. europaus in his ' Birds of 



* [In a subsequent commimication from Potcbefstroom Mr. Ayres gives 

 the following anecdote of a Falcon of tbis species : — " A friend of mine 

 saw one come down with great velocity, wbilst be was out sbooting, and 

 clutcb a Snipe at wbicb his dog pointed, and which rose at the moment. 

 The Falcon was shot at once by my friend ; and the Snipe, strange to say, 

 flew away, apparently unhiut." — J. H. G.] 



