Birds from South-eastern Africa. 365 



Hart river, 2ncl February. Iris very light tawny brown ; bill 

 pale green, with the tip and just round the base crimson; 

 chin and bare skin on the sides of the eyes and front crimson ; 

 bare skin on the sides of the head cobalt blue ; shanks and 

 tarsi dark reddish brown ; knees and feet bright crimson. 



From here all the way down the Hart river to Spalding's we 

 found these birds by myriads in large flocks feeding on beetles, 

 grasshoppers, and caterpillars. Although they were excessively 

 fat, their flesh was not good eating. "We saw this Stork also 

 in some numbers in Matabele land in December. They fre- 

 quent open grassy country in the neighbourhood of rivers 

 and swamps. On hot days they often soar to an immense 

 height, appearing as mere specks in the clear blue sky as they 

 wheel slowly round and round. 



204. Mycteria senegalensis, Shaw. 



Mashoona, September and October. Seen, but not procured. 



205. LePTOPTILUS CRUMENIFERUS (CuV.) . 



(96) Umvuli river, 9th October. 



Shot by Mr. Jameson while feeding on a dead rhinoceros 

 in company with a flock of Vultures. I am told that this bird 

 is able to cut a hole in a dead rhinoceros when the Vultures 

 cannot do so. The Boers call it the King of the Vultures, 

 and say that when it chooses it will keep the Vultures from 

 carrion until it has satisfied itself; but this does not agree with 

 the experience of Mr. Selous and other hunters. Although I 

 have always met with it singly, Mr. Selous informs me that 

 along the Chobe river and the Zambezi he has seen great 

 numbers together ; and my brother Walter, when living in 

 Pretoria, saw a large flock of them one day assemble just 

 outside the town to feed upon some mules that had died of 

 horse-sickness. This is, I believe, the Marabout Stork, the 

 beautiful white under tail-coverts of which ladies, in the 

 olden times, wore in their hats and hair. 



206. TOTANUS CANESCENS (Gm.) . 



Scolopax totanus, Linn. S. N. i. p. 145. 

 Mashoona, September, October, and December. Seen, but 

 not procured. 



SER. IV. VOL. VI. 2 c 



