during a journey to the Matabili Country. 379 



BUPHAGA AFRICANA, L. 



$ . Matabili, September 23rd, 1873. 



Beak, base yellow, tip red ; legs black ; iris orange-red. 



Common in the north of the Transvaal right up into the 

 Matabili country. This bird is a great nuisance at times to 

 cattle, from its habit of pecking holes in them ; they run 

 over a bullock as easily as a Woodpecker on a tree, picking 

 out the ticks which infest them. Over a bullock^s back you 

 may see three or four of these birds' heads reconnoitering you 

 on your approach ; so tame are they, that the one in question 

 was killed by one of our natives, with a stick, from a horse's 

 back. This species is continually with the Rhinoceros, and 

 when the animal is disturbed, the birds hover over it as it 

 runs, keeping up a continual twitter. 



CoRvus ALBicoLLis, Lath. : Layard, p. 167. 



CoRVus scAPULATUS, Daud. : Layard, p. 168. 

 Both equally common, affecting the open plains and neigh- 

 bourhood of towns more than the bush-country. 



CoRvus SEGETUM, Tcmm. 



Not nearly so common as the two preceding species, nor 

 did I ever observe them in flocks. 



Textor erythrorhynchus. Smith. 



<S . Transvaal : July 16, 1873. 



Beak red ; legs red ; iris dark hazel. 



Very common on the Limpopo, where they are to be foimd 

 in winter in flocks, and in summer breeding in the largest 

 trees along the river-bank. Their nests are very large, and 

 seem to be composed of sticks; but as the trees in which 

 they build are veiy thorny, like nearly every tree in Africa, 

 I was unable to examine them. These birds breed in small 

 colonies. 



Hyphantornis capitalis (Lath.). 

 a,b, 6 ' Limpopo, November 22nd & 23rd, 1873. 

 Bill black ; legs flesh-coloured ; iris dark hazel. 

 Not observed on my way up the country ; so it perhaps only 

 comes here to nest. These bii'ds breed in colonies, a tree by 



