NATURAL HISTORY OF SOUTH AFRICA 



bush-lands and crawl or creep through the bushes. When 

 alarmed they fly out of their cover, usually in single file, and 

 make direct for the nearest bush, into which they disappear. 

 Mouse birds are a pest in gardens. When roosting they hang 

 from a twig or branch in a bunch, clustering like bees. They 

 do not hang with the head down after the manner of a bat, 

 as commonly supposed. The nest is placed in the midst of a 

 tree, usually a thick foliaged one. It is cup shaped, and built 

 of small twigs, stems of weeds, and strips of bark, and lined 

 with green leaves. Eggs, 3 in number ; chalky white and 

 usually discoloured ; size, 0.92 by 0.62. Eggs have been found 

 from December to March. 



Ground Hornbill {Biuomse cafer). Also known as 

 the Turkey Buzzard, Brom-Vogel, Intsingizi. 



(Vol. IL, p. 62.) 



Description. — Male : plumage black, with the exception 

 of the primaries, which are white. Beak and legs black. Bare 

 skin on throat and round the eye vermilion-red. Iris pale green. 



Lengthy 42.0 ; tail, 13.6 ; wing, 24.0. 



Female differs from the male, in the bare skin of the throat 

 and neck being blue with a rim of red. The casque is also 

 narrower than in the male. 



The plumage of the immature bird is mottled grey. 



Distribution. — The eastern side of Cape Province, whole 

 of Natal, and Zululand ; lower part of the Transvaal, and north 

 to Rhodesia and the Zambesi. It also occurs in Angola, 

 Nyassaland, and East Africa. 



Habits. — The ground hornbill inhabits the open veld in 

 pairs or small parties of from 4 to 8 individuals. I have 

 often met with it in the bush- veld in Natal. 



"Fhe diet consists of the larger insects, lizards, snakes, frogs, 

 tortoises, mice, rats, etc. Small prey is picked up with the 



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