Birds of Gazaland. 81 



small larvae. This species lias not been recorded previously 

 from south of Nyasaland. 



114. Sphenceacus natalensis. Natal Grass-Bird. 



Rh. I have up to the present noted only one of these 

 birds, a male which I shot in a kloof near Melsettcr on 

 September 22nd, where it was perched quietly on the upright 

 stem of a Domheya. It measured. 7'2 inclies in the flesh ; 

 the up2)er mandible was deep sepia, the lower, as also its 

 feet, pale bluish ; irides carmine. The debris of beetles and 

 a large hairy Bombycid caterpilkir filled the stomach. 



115. TuRDUS MiLANJENsis Shelley. Milauji Tlirush. 

 Turdus milanjensis Reichenow, Vog. Afr. iii. p. 688. 



lih. I made some mention of the habits of this, the 

 common Thrush of Cliirinda, in my last paper under the 

 erroneous heading of T. cabanisi ('Ibis,' 1907, p. 60). 



Eight of these birds averaged 8'45, rangiug from 8*15 to 

 8*9 inches in the flesh. Bill — upper mandible brown, its 

 commissure and the whole of the lower orange ; feet deep 

 raw sienna, the back of the tarsus gamboge; irides brown. 

 Seven stomachs examined contained a weevil, a centipede, 

 small beetles, a large Elaterid larva, Diptera, Melolonthid 

 and other larvae, a large millipede, snails (including frag- 

 ments of a large Achatina) , and the berries of Celt is and ol 

 a large Strychnus. 



This is a Nyasaland species and new to South Africa. 



116. TuRDUS TROPiCALis Ptrs. [T. liboyiianus of my last 

 paper, ^bis,' 1907, p. 60). Peters's Thrush. 



Turdus Ubonianus trupicalis Reichenow, Vog. Afr. iii. 

 p. 693. 



Rh., P. I shot one of these birds (the common Thrush 

 of Southern Melsetter) on the Knrumadzi in November : it 

 was hunting for insects in the clods of a recently-hoed field 

 in the early morning, after the manner of the English Thrush. 

 I also saw it at Gezanye, between Chibabava and the 

 Madanda. 



Bill and eyelids bright orange ; tarsi and feet rather vari- 

 able, usually some tint of raw sienna tinged with brown or 



SER. IX. VOL. II. G 



