()4 JMr. E. Tlioinscn on 



The stuffed specimen in the Pretoria Museum, the live one 

 in the Zooh^gieal Gardens, and the skins in my possession, 

 only have the two small wattles under the throat. 



Most o£ our South African Starlings, or Spreeuws, live on 

 insects, and naturally are often found followino- the voet- 

 gangers, helping to diminish the numbers of these pests. 

 Some, like the Red-wing Spreeuw (^Amydrus morio), which is 

 so fond of figs and grapes, leave the fruit alone, for the time 

 being, and gorge themselves with voetgangers. 



The Wit-gat (Spreo hicolor) can also be seen on the high- 

 veldt, feeding on young locusts. 



This latter Starling does not live on the low-hing regions 

 of the Northern Bush- veldt. 



The White-bellied Stork. {Ahdimia ahdimii.) 

 Ahdbn'ia ahdimii [Ciconia ahdimii, Andersson's ' Birds of 

 Damaraland,' p. 280 ; Reichenow, p. 343 ; Brehm, v. p. ;317) 

 has been noticed in large swarms during the last few locust 

 seasons in the Northern parts of the Transvaal. This Stork 

 appears after the first rain in large numbers, destroying the 

 voetgangers. I have seen these birds in the Waterburg 

 District in thousands. Wherever young locusts were to be 

 found this Stork put in an a])pearance. They covered the 

 flats like a large flock of sheep, stalking or running with 

 outspread wings after the locusts. The voetgangers soon 

 vanished. It was a fine sight when these birds flew home in 

 the evening to their roosting-place — first circling round till 

 they were mere specks in the sky, then resting on their wings, 

 all floating in one direction towards the sleeping-place. I 

 did not allow any s})raying with arsenic where these Storks 

 appeared, not alone for fear of killing any of these valuable 

 birds, for they ate poisoned locusts in many places without 

 any harm being done to them, but because the Storks wer(^ 

 quite capable of finishing the swarms of voetgangers. We 

 have also communications on record saying that the White- 

 bellied Stork arrived at places where voetgangers had been 

 poisoned by arsenic spray. The birds were watched at their 

 roosting-place, which was some big thorn trees ; they relumed 



