Short JVotices. 131 



cussion which is now taking place in the Transvaal as to the 

 propriety of permitting Ducks to be shot in the present open 

 game-season, which extends from the 14th April to the 31st 

 August. 



Attention of sportsmen may also be drawn to the difference 

 between the two Knorhaans, Otis afra (Black Knorhaan), 

 which seems to be confined to Cape Colony south of the 

 Orange River, and Otis afroides (White-quilled Knorhaan), 

 which replaces the former in other parts of South Africa : 

 the only difference is that in afroides the primaries after the 

 first are white on the inner web, the tips alone being black, 

 whilst the under wing-coverts and the quills from below are 

 also white ; in afra this feathering is black. It would be 

 interesting to discover if these two species grade off into each 

 other in any localities. The bird known as Turnix nana 

 (Natal Hemipode) was discovered by Wahlberg and then 

 lost sight of until rediscovered quite recently by Grant 

 (p. 241). The Spotted Crake {Ortijgometra j^orzana) — a 

 fairly common bird in Europe, where it nests — appears to 

 just fall short of our limits, as a rule, on its southerly winter 

 migration ; although only twice observed hitherto, once by 

 Ayres in Bechnanaland and once by Fleck in the Kalahari, 

 Dr. Stoehr found it on many occasions in the Zambesi Valley 

 near Feira (p. 2.30). All the Crakes are so shy and retiring 

 in their habits that they are seldom observed or flushed ; 

 this no doubt accounts for the apparent great rarity of several 

 species such as Coturnicops ayresi (White-winged Crake), 

 only procured on three occasions (p. 258), Limnocorax niger 

 (Black Crake) (p. 260), Sarotlmra elegans (White-spotted 

 Crake) (p. 254), Sarotlmra lineata (Jardine's Crake) (p. 253), 

 Limnohcmus marginalis (Hartlaub's Crake) (p. 258). Little 

 is recorded about these species, and ornithologists might with 

 advantage turn their attention to the group whenever they 

 have an opportunity of investigating a likely haunt. 



The greatest known weight of the Gom Paauw {Otis kori) 

 — a much-vexed question — is here recorded as 42 lbs. ; but 

 this would seem, from other weights given, to be quite 

 exceptional. 



