i Mr. A. Haagnor on the Protective 



Family Alaudid^. 

 I have unfortunately given but little attention to this 

 interesting group of birds, so cannot do better than quote 

 the remarks of Mr. Guy A. K. Marshall, F.Z.S., of Salisbury, 

 Mashonaland, with reference to a member of the Lark family. 

 In an article in the ' Zoologist' (vol. 1900, p. 543), entitled 

 " Conscious Protective Resemblance," he says : — " There are 

 few birds in this country which show a stronjzer apparent 

 reliance on their protective colouring than the little Rufous- 

 capped Lark {Tephrocorys cinered) or the (yape Long-claw 

 {Macronyx eapensis). They will readily permit one to 

 approach within a few yards of them and they will merely 

 run on ahead in their curious crouching rat-like manner. 

 Tliis action is certainly of considerable protective value in 

 their ordinary surroundings.^' I concur fully with these 

 remarks, as this bird is very common at Modderfontein, and 

 I have often noticed th Jit its plumage is decidedly assimilative 

 in its colouring. To this bird I can add, from personal ex- 

 perience, the following species: — Rufous -naped Lark 

 {Mirafra africana), Grey-collared Lark (Akemon semitor- 

 quata), and the Rufous Long-billed Lark (Certhilauda 

 rufula), as Mr. Marshall's observations in a measure also 

 apply to these birds. 



Family Motacillid^. 



Perhaps one of the most conspicuous cases of protective 

 r-esemblance in this family is that of the Cape Long-claw, 

 already referred to. This bird has a bright orange-red 

 throat, but when it is in the crouching attitude so aptly de- 

 scribed by Mr. Marshall, this brightly-tinted portion is 

 invisible. 



The remarks on the Alaudidce may serve for most of the 

 Pipits, if not all, so I need not go into a reiteration. I will 

 only draw attention to the commonest local member of this 

 family, the Tawny Pipit (AntJms rufulus). This bird's 

 coloration is strongly assimilative with regard to the sur- 

 rounding sea of grass of its natural home. Its movements 



