DESCRIPTION, DISTRIBUTION, HABITS 



The nest itself is built of dead sticks and rootlets. It is 

 4 or 5 in. in thickness, and lined with down, hair, and wool. 

 The surroundings of the nest are excellently camouflaged with 

 sticks and twigs. If the nest be approached when there are 

 eggs and young in it, the parent birds refuse to fly away, and will 

 almost allow themselves to be caught with the hand. Clutch, 2 

 ^o 3 ; eggs greenish-blue, profusely mottled and spotted with 

 reddish-brown ; size, 0.82 by 0.60. 



Noisy Robin Chat {Cossypha bicolor). (Vol. II., p. 31.) 



Description. — Upper surface including the crown and wing 

 coverts dark slaty-grey, changing to orange on the rump and 

 upper tail coverts. Sides of face black. Cheeks, sides of neck, 

 and under parts bright orange. Tail feathers orange-red 

 margined with black, excepting the two centre feathers, which 

 are entirely black. Iris brown. Bill black. Legs pale brown. 



Z^^/^M, 7.25 ; tail, 3.20; wing, 3.75. 

 The female is similar to the male. 



Distribution. — Eastern side of South Africa from George 

 District of the Cape Province to the Zambesi. 



Habits. — The noisy robin chat frequents the dense bush 

 and seldom shows itself. It is a noisy bird, as its name indicates, 

 and often imitates the cries of other birds. Its principal cry 

 resembles piet-myn-vrouw (piet-my-wife), by which name it 

 is known to the Dutch-speaking section of people. 



Paradise Fly - Catcher {Terpsiphone perspicillata). 

 (Vol. II., p. 36.) 



Description. — Male : entire head and crest steel-green. 

 Back and rump, wing coverts and tail, chestnut. Under parts 

 slaty-grey. Iris dark brown. Eyelids and bill cobalt-blue. 

 Legs greyish-blue. 



Lengthy to the end of the two long tail feathers, 13.0 to 15.0 ; 



wing, 3.50 ; tail, 3.5 ; tail to the end of the long feathers, i i.oo. 



The female does not possess the two long tail feathers of 



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