Mr. E. L. Layard on South-African Ornithology. 363 



meat hung up to dry in the native fashion. It does not seem 

 very choice in its food. The stomachs of those I examined 

 contained locusts and lizards ; and I have seen family parties 

 dining, after the manner of Vultures, off the putrid carcass 

 of an ox. They breed about the time the locust -larvae become 

 developed, the young birds taking wing when the * hoppers ' are 

 becoming strong oa the ground. They then congregate in 

 flocks ; and I have counted between eighty and ninety hovering 

 over an army of infant locusts, and have seen them in still 

 greater numbers, some on the ground busily devouring the 

 ' hoppers,' others perched on neighbouring trees gorged with a 

 full repast. The Matabili name is ' Mezwazwa.^ " 



37. MiLVus PARASITICUS. Eggs of this species procured 

 by Mr. Cotze are dull white, sparsely spotted, blotched and 

 streaked, generally at the thick end, with dry blood-coloured 

 markings; axis 2" 3'", diam. 1" 9'". 



40. AcciPiTER TACHiRo, Mr. A. F. Ortlepp says, " by no 

 means rare near Colesberg, in the timber skirting the Orange 

 River. Easy of approach, feeds on small birds, beetles, and so 

 forth." 



48. Serpentarius reptilivorus. Contests between this 

 bird and snakes have often been described ; but my friend Mr. 

 Atmore furnishes evidence that the bird is not always victorious. 

 He says, " if the snake bites a feather [he means the shafts of 

 the large primaries: I questioned him on this point], the Secretary 

 pulls it out immediately. On one occasion I saw one leave off 

 fighting and run to a pool of water, where he suddenly fell 

 down and died. On examining him I found the snake had 

 drawn blood from the joint of the pinion." 



83. HiRUNDo GORDONi. Mr. Arnold, a gentleman who ac- 

 companied Mr. Faulkner in his expedition up the Shire River, 

 describes this Swallow as very abundant on that stream. I 

 suspect that Wahlberg got it very far to the northward, and 

 that it must be excluded from my list. 



84. CoTYLE AMBROsiACA. This bird must be removed from 

 its place in my list among the Martins, and transferred to the 



2 c 2 



