146 DENIZENS OF THE FOREST 



yellow and bright golden yellow colours. The Northern 

 form (S. marshalli) is extremely common around Bloem- 

 fontein and Brandfort in the Orange Free Slate, and it is a 

 pretty sight to see a small flock of these birds consisting of 

 some half-dozen males with a like number of their sombre- 

 coloured spouses flitting about amongst the mimosas in the 

 bright sunlight. Although not such a renowned songster as 

 the Cape Canary, it has a lively though simple song, and in 

 its richly tinted garb makes truly a charming cage-bird. 



Another pretty little species is the Icterine Seedeater 

 (S. icterus), which is the common form in the Central Trans- 

 vaal, being fairly plentiful from the Modderfontein Dynamite 

 Factory through Irene and Pretoria to the " Bushveld." It 

 is lively, tame and of confiding habits, and has a charming 

 melodious song with full flute-like notes, hence it is often 

 caught and even exported over-sea as a cage-bird. 



It is prettily marked in yellow, green and black. Its 

 conspicuous yellow eyebrow and yellow band on the forehead 

 is sufficient to distinguish it from the other species of the 

 genus. Hence the name by which it is commonly known in 

 the Pretoria District (viz. " Yellow-eye "). Length, 4| inches. 



A vastly different bird is the sombre-plumaged White- 

 throated Seedeater (»S'. albigularis) called " Dik-bek Seisje " 

 or " Berg-seisje " by the Colonial boys. It is of an ashy- 

 brown colour streaked on the back with darker brown. 

 Fore cheeks, throat and abdomen white. Length, 6-J inches. 

 It has a loud musical song which is by some critics even 

 preferred to that of the Cape Canary. 



Another good little songster is the Yellow-rumped Seed- 

 eater (or " Black-throated," as it is usually called — S. 

 angolensis), which is pale huffish-brown with a blackish 

 throat and yellow rump. Length a little over 4-£ inches. 

 It is exceedingly common in the Brandforl and Kroonstad 



