NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



Distribution. — The whole of South Africa, with the excep- 

 tion of treeless desert-like districts. North to Central Africa. 



Habits. — The Cape robin chat is a familiar bird in our 

 gardens, hopping and flying about the bushes. It has a peculiar 

 habit of jerking its tail and drooping its wings when it alights 

 on a twig or on the ground. It is especially active during the 

 early morning and at dusk, searching for insects. It is rather 

 peculiar that in the Cape Province this bird seeks the neighbour- 

 hood of man, whereas in Natal I noticed it invariably kept in 

 the seclusion of the woods and shrub. The nest is an open 

 cup-shaped structure, and is built of roots, lichen, and moss. 

 The nest is usually placed in a hedge or on a thick foliaged 

 shrub or low tree. Sometimes the nests are found in large 

 trees, such as cypresses. Two or even more broods are reared 

 during the season. Clutch, 3 to 5 ; eggs pale blue, mottled 

 profusely with pale rufous ; size, 90 by 60. 



Cape Ground Robin {Erythropygia coryphceus). (Vol. 



ii.,p. 31.) 



Description. — Head, sides of face, and neck grey-brown. 

 Back rufous-brown. The four centre tail feathers brownish- 

 black ; the others are tipped with white. A dusky line on each 

 side of the throat. Grey-brown on the breast, changing into 

 fulvous-brown on the sides and thighs. Iris dark brown. Bill 

 and legs black. 



Lengthy 6.40 ; tail, 3.0 ; w^ing, 2.70. 

 The sexes are alike in colour. 



Distribution. — Cape Province on its west and northern parts ; 

 the southern portion of Bechuanaland and Great Namaqualand. 



Habits. — This robin frequents the drier parts scantily covered 

 with low bushes, such as those on the sand hills. When alarmed 

 it runs under, or flies into, one of these thick stunted bushes. 

 It is a lively and homely little bird. The nest is built on the 

 ground under masses of dead twigs or low thick bushes. The 

 nest is a small, neat, round structure partly sunk into the ground. 



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