Occasional J\ofes. 129 



animals were so "woak as to be unable to defend themselves 

 against these powerful birds. When in October the flocks 

 left the Low Country and returned to the High Veldt these 

 Vultures were robbed o£ their abnormal supply of food and 

 in consequence followed the sheep to the High Veldt, where, 

 shortly after the flocks returned from the Low Country, these 

 two healthy ewes that I mention were killed. I think it was 

 due more to the habits these birds had acquired during an 

 exceptionally severe winter, when they frequently killed and 

 ate weakly sheep, than to their natural instinct ; I have fre- 

 quently seen Vultures flying over and feeding on the same 

 farm all the summer, but they have not repeated their 

 attacks on healthy sheep. 



Whilst recognizing the good that Vultures do, I think 

 that in certain localities it would be very beneficial to the 

 farmers if these destructive birds were kept in check : as 

 for instance, at the dwelling-place I mention above, on the 

 Compies River. During the winter (when the birds are 

 breeding) thousands of sheep trek into this district, and during 

 the lambing-season at any rate these birds do a great amount 

 of damage, killing ewes and lambs in numbers. To the large 

 farmer the good these birds do as scavengers may recompense 

 liim for the loss of a few ewes and hmibs, but to the small 

 farmer, who is trying to work up the number ( f his flock after 

 the late war, it is very hard. I would suggest that these 

 Vultures should be thinned out in this locality, which could 

 easily be done by shooting them as they return to their 

 sleeping-place at night. 



It would be interesting to hear from Members of the Union 

 whether similar incidents have occurred in other parts of 

 South Africa. C. H. Taylok. 



XL A Note concerning sojie Pkopejities of 'I'iie 



COLOURING-MATTEU IN THE KeMKJES OF TujiACVS COUYTHAIX. 



I have lately investigated a statement which occurs in 

 vol. i. of Taylor's ' Medical Jurisprudence,' to the effect that 



it )i;id Iieen recorded that the coKniriii<'-malter extracted IVum 



