808 Bulletin of the Jirifish 



mountain which rises to a height of some 2500 feet above 

 Capetown^ introduced me to several birds which I had not 

 seen below. The splendid Pro/ea-shrubs just coming into 

 flower were the resort of two forms of bird-life which were 

 quite new to me in naturd. These were the long-tailed 

 Promerops cafer — another exclusively Ethiopian type — and 

 the Sun -birds [Anthobaphes and Cinnyris), Promerops 

 appears to have been modified specially to feed on the nectar 

 of the species of Proteacese which are so abundant on the hills 

 of Southern Africa, but, no doubt, it also avails itself of the 

 insects attracted to the same flowers. On Table Mountain 

 I also observed specimens of a very flne Rock-Thrush — Monti- 

 cola exploratory I believe — and an occasional Crow [Corvns 

 scapulatiis). Of the latter a sinp:le specimen a])pears to 

 have taken up its abode in the garden of Gi'oot Schuur, in 

 the society of the Rooks which Mr. Rhodes has lately 

 imported from Europe. 



" On the Cape Flats just outside Capetown the Secrctary- 

 Inrd [Serpentarius secretarius) still builds its nest every year, 

 though I did not myself see it in this locality. A pair of 

 young Secretary-birds now in the Museum Grounds at Cape- 

 town were obtained liere in 1898, and two eggs were taken 

 from the same nest on the 15th October this year. It is 

 curious that our familiar Heron [Ardea cinerea) inhabits the 

 ' vleys ' in the same district, and that the Great Crested 

 Grebe {Podicipes cristatus) is a regular breeder there. 



'^ Finally, I may mention that enormous flocks of the 

 Dominican Gull [Larus dominicunus) and the Cape Cor- 

 morant [Phalacrocorax capensis) frequent the harbour of 

 Table Bay, and are accompanied by small parties of the Cape 

 Penguin {Spheniscus demersus). Outside the harbour the 

 ships are likewise attended by numerous Giant Petrels 

 {Majaqueus (Bqninoctialis) and occasional Albatrosses [Dio- 

 itiedea melunophrys)." 



Mr. E. BiDWELL exhibited an egg of the Great Auk 

 {Alca impennis), which had been lent to him by Mr. Henry 

 Stevens, to M'hom it had that day been consigned for sale. 



