Locust Birds in the Transvaal. 75 



Pretoria, 

 20th January, 1907. 



Another locust campaign has been finished since the fore- 

 going article was written — a campaign on a very much larger 

 scale than the others. Nearly two-thirds of the Transvaal 

 was covered with voetgangers of the brown locust, and 

 about one-third of the Transvaal is still covered with the 

 voetgangers of the red locust. 



Large swarms of Glareola appeared in November in the 

 south and south-west. The White-bellied Stork and the 

 European Stork were not noticed before the beginning of 

 December, and then only in small numbers. 



In Waterberg, Rustenburg, Marico, Wohnaranstad, and in 

 the Potchefstroom Districts, Creatopliora carunculata (Wattled 

 Starlings) were found nesting. 



In the neighbourhood of Bloemhof large flocks of the 

 Spur-wing Geese (^Plectropterus gamhensis) helped to finish 

 off swarms of voetgangers. In January I noticed that the 

 Quails were very plentiful, both in the Waterberg and the 

 Zoutpansberg Districts. 



When the brown locusts got their wings they moved, as 

 in previous years, in a south-westerly direction, followed by 

 both Kestrels and Glareola, which I am sure finished off a 

 large number of these insects. 



It was observed during this campaign that at the time the 

 Brown Locust voetgangers hatch — that is, in October — very 

 few birds had arrived ; in fact it is only now, in January, 

 when the voetgangers of the red locusts are hatching, that 

 the migratory birds are all here. 



In the Northern Transvaal where the Glareola is not a 

 resident, and is only seen passing through, it is one of the 

 first to arrive. This scarcity of Locust Birds, or their late 

 arrival, is rather serious when considered in connection with 

 the brown locust campaign. On the other hand, I find that 

 the red locust voetgangers, now hatching, are sought after 

 by most of the above-mentioned birds. I would also like to 

 mention that in the Piet Retief and Wakkerstroom Districts 

 exceedingly few birds were noticed. 



