Nesting-Habits ^'c. of South African Birds. 15 



34. HiRUNDO ATROC^RULEA. (Blue tSwallow.) 



This bird is fairly common near Balgowan (Natal) close to 

 the yellowwood-trees ; it also occurs at Gilletts and Pine- 

 town in Natal, but is very local. It builds a small open cup- 

 shaped nest of mud and grass against the roof of a large 

 ant-bear hole about three feet from the entrance : it is lined 

 with grass and feathers. The clutch consists of two ep-ffs, 

 which vary considerably in size and shape. They resemble 

 those of IT. smithi (Wire-tailed Swallow), but the spots and 

 blotches usually form a ring round the obtuse end. Nestino- 

 commences in December and lasts till the beginning oi 

 March. 



35. HiRUNDO SEMIRUFA. (Rufous-breasted Swallow.) 

 Mr. Austin Roberts has sent me a clutch of four eggs of 



this bird, which he says also nests in ant-bear holes. They 

 are white and resemble the eggs of II. cucullafa (Larger Stripe- 

 breasted Swallow). He took the clutch at Potchefstroom on 

 the 4th December, 1903. 



36. Irrisor viridis. (Kakelaar.) 



Near Durban on the 6th December, 1903, I found a nest 

 of this bird with four young just hatched. The nest was in 

 an old hole oi Lybius torguatus (Black-collared Barbet). 



37. Alcedo semitorquata. (Half-collared Kingfisher.) 

 At Newcastle, Natal, on 8th October, 1902, 1 found a nest 



of this species containing four half-fledged young : the nest- 

 hole was under a small willow about three feet above the 

 water, and was as foul as Kingfishers' nests usually are. 



38. BucoRAx cafer. (Brom-vogel.) 



Mr. Graham Hutchinson very kindly gave me two eo-gs 

 of this bird taken from the same hole visited by the late 

 Dr. Stark at Boschfontein, near Balgowan, Natal (Stark and 

 Sclater, Fauna of S. Africa, Birds, vol. iii. p. 105) ; they 

 were collected in October 1902, and were quite fresh, being 

 pure white and covered with tubercles. 



39. Lophoceros melanoleucus. (Crowned Hornbill.) 

 In Natal this bird nests in October and November. 



