I^e sting- Habits 8fc. of South African Birds. 17 



46. Chrysococcyx cupreus. (Didric Cuckoo.) 



I have taken five eggs of this species this season, all from 

 nests of S. capensis caffra (Eastern Cape Weaver Bird), 

 which lays blue eggs only. All the five eggs of the Cuckoo 

 were of a bluish-green ground-colour thickly spotted with 

 slaty brown. Mr. A. D. Millar and Mr. Austin Roberts 

 both corroborate this view that the eggs are not white. 

 They lay in December. 



[I took three eggs from the nests of H. velatus (Masked 

 Weaver Bird) on the Yokeskei River near the ford of the 

 Johannesburg-Pretoria road, on the 17th November, 1903. 

 The coloration of these eggs was, strange to say, very 

 similar to that described by Major Sparrow. I will give 

 more details of this case on some future occasion. — 

 A. Haagner.] 



47. Gallirex porphyreolophus. (Purple - crested 

 Lourie.) 



Mr. H. Millar took a nest of this species on the 16th 

 November, 1902, at Clairmont near Durban, containing three 

 large chalky-white eggs. The nest was like that of a large 

 Dove^s. 



48. Falco biarmicus. (South African Lanner.) 



Very common at Potchefstroom (Transvaal) and Harrismith 

 (O.R.C.), and common near most krantzes in Upper Natal. 

 This Falcon lays from July 15th till August 1,5th, and the 

 clutch consists of three or four large roundish eggs very 

 similar in shape and markings to the eggs of T. rupicolus 

 (South African Kestrel). In the Potchefstroom district it 

 occupies the deserted nests of a Vulture, Crow, or large 

 Kestrel. Near Harrismith (O.R.C.) and in Upper Natal it 

 lays its eggs in a hole or ledge of a cliff usually inaccessible 

 without ropes. 



49. AcciPiTER RUFiVENTRis. (African Sparrow Hawk.) 

 Two clutches of four eggs each of this species were taken 



by me at Mooi River on the 11th October, 1900, and the 

 29th October, 1903. Both were hard-set and resembled the 

 VOL. 1. 2 



