156 DENIZENS OF THE FOREST 



known, while the other (0. auratus) has only recently been 

 added to the South African Fauna by Alexander, who met 

 with it in the Zambesi Valley. 



Of the remaining two species, the Golden Oriole of Europe 

 (0. galbula) is a fairly scarce visitor to South Africa, being 

 recorded, amongst other places, from Pondoland, by Sergeant 

 Davies, C.M.R. ; Damaraland by Andersson ; Eustenburg 

 (Barratt) ; Irene (L. E. Taylor) and Hartebeest Poort 

 (Haagner), both the last being in the Pretoria District. It 

 is of a golden yellow colour, with a black streak from the 

 bill to the eye. Length, 10 inches. 



The last member of the family is the Black-headed Oriole 

 (0. larvatus), easily distinguished from the Golden Oriole by 

 its black head and throat. Length, 9| inches. This bird is 

 fairly common in the Albany and Bathurst Divisions of the 

 Cape Province, where it is often knowm as the Yellow 

 Spreeuw. During the winter months it affects the neigh- 

 bourhood of gardens and populated areas, betaking itself in 

 September to the outskirts of the Bush and commencing to 

 build in October. 



It constructs a cup-shaped nest of Ptylandsia (Old Man's 

 Beard Moss), and generally deposits three eggs of a creamy 

 white ground sparsely marked with purplish-brown. 



Mr. Ivy mentions that, although usually very wild, one of 

 these birds once allowed a camera to be fixed to a bough 

 within a few feet from the nest on which it sat. It has full 

 flute-like notes which are very pleasant to the ear. 



In the Centra] Transvaal it is scarce, appearing only as 

 "partial migr nts " ; this is. however, accounted for by 

 its forest-loving disposition, natural forest being an unknown 

 quantity in the Witwatersrand area. I procured a single 

 example at Modderfontein, Transvaal. 



It feeds on berries, wild fruits, and insects and their larva;. 



