50 Mr, C. F. M. Swynnerton on the 



again venture near the nest. If the surrounding ground is 

 fairly bare (as in many parts of Mashonaland. rarely with 

 us), the biid will nearly always drop from the nest on being 

 disturbed and run a few yards before rising. In October 

 of 1898 I continued to shoot the bird every time I saw it 

 leave the nest, with a view to ascertaining how often it would 

 take to itself a new mate. The first to be shot was a female, 

 the next a male, and the third again a female, after which 

 the eggs were removed, probably by the bird itself. 



Feet invariably light blue-grey ; iris grey, often rather 

 deep and with a dash of cobalt, while the pupil is occasionally 

 surrounded by a narrow ring of chestnut. In the nestling 

 the bill is grey-brown, and irides and feet pale grey. Six of 

 these Shrikes averaged in the flesh 8'97 inches, and locusts, 

 beetles, a wasp, spiders, a large cricket, and larvae were 

 amongst the contents of their stomachs. 



Two young birds, nearly fledged, from the same nest, 

 resembled the adult in general coloration, but the crown 

 and eye-stripe were duller, merely blackish-brown ; eyebrow 

 uniform pale buff throughout ; lores occupied by a bare 

 patch of grey skin and a similar patch just behind the eye; 

 back and rump vandyk-brown, a far colder shade than in 

 the old bird; two centre tail-feathers barred as in the adult, 

 others white with black bases ; wings as in adult, but whole 

 of under-surface more strongly tinged with buff, the grey 

 shade of the chest appearing as faint dusky bars. Culmen 

 0-67 and 0*6 ; wing 2*57 and 2-3 ; tail 1-27 and 09 inches. 



75. Texephonus australis. Tiiree-streaked Bush- 

 Shrike. 



Singuni : " Umqubana." 



P. During my stay on the Kurumadzi in August, I 

 found this to be the common Telephonus of the neighbourhood. 

 It might sometimes be seen perched or moving about quietly 

 in the bush or feeding on the ground along the edges of 

 Kafir clearings, and was very shy, . flying low and at once 

 taking refuge in the dense bush or nearest rank herbage. 



My three specimens measured from 7 to 7'25 inches in 



