Ohituary. 33 



six nests, which had apparently been raided by some other 

 waders. On one was a full-grown Ibis, which had been 

 pulled to pieces ; here and there eggs and shells lay scattered; 

 the reeds were much trodden down, and feathers lay thick in 

 all directions. In a very secluded part of the pan, only 

 capable of being reached by the boat, was the main colony of 

 perhaps some seventy to eighty nests ; these contained young 

 only in all stages of growth. 



On the 31st December I again visited the " pan " and 

 found that all the nests had been deserted and the egos 

 destroyed. 



It is perhaps unnecessary to give the exact locality of this 

 interesting place, but it is situated not far from Balmoral 

 Station. Several other interesting species were also nesting 

 on the pan, and I discovered nests of Ardea cinerea (Common 

 Heron), BuJndcus this (BufF-backed Egret) , Ardea purpurea 

 (Purple Heron), Botaurus pusillus (African Little Bittern). 

 I also heard the booming of Botaurus stellaris (Common 

 Bittern), and observed several other waders and water-birds 

 of which I hope, on a future occasion, to give a more 

 extended account. 



OBITUARY. 



Mr. JOHANN VAN OOSTERZEE MaEAIS, M.B.O.U. 



We much regret to have to record the death of Mr. Johann 

 VAN OosTERZEE Marais, M.B.O.U., which took place on the 

 15th February, 1904, at the early age of thirty-three. Born 

 in Queenstown, C.C., in 1871, Mr. Marais had already made 

 a name for himself as an ornithologist. He was an ardent, 

 indefatigable, and capable collector, and the magnificent 

 condition of the large collections of skins which he at 

 different times amassed in the course of his life proves him to 

 have been a most skilled and thorough taxidermist. The 

 quality and finish of his specimens were of the very highest 

 order, and a model of perfection and neatness. For some 

 time prior to the war, and for a short period afterwards, he 

 VOL. I. 3 



