6 Sergt. 0. G. Davies on the 



sometimes exhibit great peculiarities of plumage, peculi- 

 arities which often J though not always^ disappear at the 

 first moult*. 



It would appear from an old writer that the European 

 Lanner {F. lanarius) sometimes differed from the usual type. 

 Nicholas Cos, in the ' Gentleman's Recreation,' 1677, page 

 2 13, says, "there are a sort of lanners which eyerie in the 



Alps, having tlieir heads white and flat aloft tlieir 



mail is marble or russet, their breast-feathers white and full 

 of russet spots, the poijits and e.vtrennties of their feathers full 

 of white drops." The italics are mine. 1 have always con- 

 sidered this description as more or less mythical, but am 

 not now disposed to do so. Allowance being made for the 

 general difference in ground-colour between lanarius and 

 hiarniicus the description ap[)lies pretty well to the present 

 bird, and the last sentence is ])articularly significant. 

 Through the kindness of Mr. A. Haagtier, the Director of 

 the Zoological Gardens, this bird is now in my possession, 

 and at the time of writing is flying to the lure daily and 

 promises to tm-n out well. 



If, instead of having been taken alive, it had been shot 

 after leaving the nest it might (and with some reason) 

 have been described as a new South African falcon ! 



III. — Additions to tlie List of the Avifauna of the Matatiele 

 District. By C. G. Dayies, M.B.O.U. (Sgt. S.A.M.R.). 



I HAVE the pleasure of recording two interesting additions 

 to the Avifauna of this district. 



(1) A specimen of the Grey-headed Kingfisher {Ilalcijon 

 swaiyisoni) shot on the farm "Guildford" in this district in 

 1911. This is a young bird in the first year's plumage. This 

 is, I believe, the first record of this species from ( "ape Colony. 



* See the ' Baz-naiiia-yi jSM-iii,' a Tersian Irealit-e on falconry, 

 J.t-Ci)l. Phillott's Iraii.^latioD, page 49 (iiule). 



