Birda of Gazuland. 45 



strips of bark, and the dry leaves of the climbing ferii^ the 

 first material predominating ; finer grasses surrounded the 

 entrance and formed a ceiling for tlie porch, which was 

 fairly large. A few rough, dirty pieces of lichen were affixed 

 externally, especially to the bottom of the nest, the cup 

 being lined with vegetable down (the pappi probably of the 

 " Rukangazi,'^ Cryptostegia oblonyifuUa) and fine grasses. 

 Total depth (exclusive of hanging pieces of grass, &c.) 

 5'1 inches; front to back 2'85 (external) ; side to side 21 ; 

 diameter of opening (which is round) l*o5; depth of cup (in- 

 side) 2. There were two eggs, nearly fresh, white in ground- 

 colour, the larger end surrounded by a complete finely-speckled 

 zone of pale grey, a few of these fine spots straying to other 

 parts of the egg ; intermixed were slightly larger spots and 

 small streaks of dark sepia-brown (almost blackish), many 

 of them slightly suffused. They measured 0'65 inch and 

 0-63 by 0-45. 



A second nest containing one young bird was built entirely 

 of bleached grass-blades lined with downy pappi, and was 

 slung from the side twig of a shrubby young '^ Chinanga '' 

 [Zizyphus miicronata) in the long grass ; the porch lacked 

 the sheltering leaf and was wider and more overlapping than 

 in that previously taken, but at the same time clumsier. 

 In both cases the female w^as very shy about returning, 

 and at neither nest did the male bird put in an appearance 

 at all. 



Thirteen of these birds (male and female, there is little or 

 no diff'erence between the sexes in size) averaged in the flesh 

 4*2 inches, with a minimum of 4'1 and a maximum of 4*6 

 (an exceptionally large bird). Thirteen stomachs have been 

 examined and contained ants, flies, small beetles, larvae (in 

 five cases), a small snail, and two spiders. 



67. ZosTEROPS ANDERSsoNi. Audcrsson^s White-eye. 



E/h., P. On the Kurumadzi during the first half of 

 August this White-eye was quite the commonest bird, being 

 more numerous even than Pycnonotus layardi and the two 

 common Seed-eaters. They (the White-eyes) were going 

 about everywhere in the tall grass-jungle in flocks numbering 



