Notes from the Transvaal. 193 



yellow ; legs pale oclireous yellow ; bill black at tip, base 

 light bluish slate-colour. 



8. TiNNUNCULUs RUPicoLA. (Lcsser South - African 

 Kestrel.) 



On the 7th of October, 1900, 1 found a nest of this species 

 in a mimosa bush [Acacia horrida) . It was constructed of 

 twigs, lined with hair, wool, and feathers, and contained 

 three eggs, the description being as follows : cream-coloured 

 ground, thickly spotted and blotched with various shades of 

 brown; axis 1|^", diam. Ij^g". When these Kestrels are 

 eating a bird, I noticed that they do not grasp it with both 

 feet. Taking it in one foot, the individual I watched would 

 hop about until he fancied he had found a suitable spot for 

 his meal, when he tore off all the feathers, and then rent 

 the body asunder and swallowed the pieces. 



9. Scopus umbretta. (Hammerkop.) 



A pair of these highly interesting and peculiar birds have 

 been constructing a huge nest in a willow tree near this place 

 for the last month, at a height of about 12 feet from the 

 ground. Measurements as follows : about a yard and a half in 

 diameter across the top and little more than a yard in height. 

 The fabric is constructed of twigs, weeds, reeds, and grass, 

 cemented together into a compact mass with mud. On the 

 top of it the owners have placed stones, pieces of plank, tins, 

 bones, and even a dead bird. The object is evidently to hide 

 the real appearance of the nest from above. The entrance- 

 hole is on the only inaccessible side of the tree, a circumstance 

 displaying much forethought on the part of the parents. I 

 would much like to take the eggs, but cannot get hold of 

 them without breaking the nest, which I have no inclina- 

 tion to do ; it is so strongly built that, although I have stood 

 upon the top, no damage was caused to it by my weight. 



10. Spreo bicolor. (Witgat Spreeuw.) 



On the 20th of October of this year I found a nest of this 

 species in a hole in the stone wall of a local causeway or 

 bridge. It contained five eggs of a plain bright greenish 



SER. VIII. VOL. I. o 



