16 Mr. A. Haagnor on 



and lucerne grows freelj, render it necessary tliat Cape 

 Colony should put forth every endeavour to foster the 

 Ostrich to its utmost. 



An Experimental Farm. 

 The great need at present in South Africa is the establish- 

 ment of an experimental Ostrich farm on a permanent basis, 

 where investigations can be carried out as to the best 

 management of birds so as to produce the finest type of 

 leathers, the best methods of rearing and managing chicks, 

 and also to determine the best remedies against the many 

 diseases and parasites to which the bird is subject. Parti- 

 cularly is it necessary that experiments in breeding superior 

 birds should be conducted under proper conditions, so that 

 the progeny can be distributed among the farmers, and 

 thereby gradually raise the standard. It is unquestionably 

 by the various methods of breeding that the greatest improve- 

 ment in Ostriches will be made in the future, and many of 

 these are of such a nature as can scarcely be undertaken by 

 the private farmer. The Ostrich-feather industry is of such 

 vast importance to Cape Colony, practically equalling that of 

 the wool industry, tliat every assistance which science and 

 practice can afford should be given to its maintenance and 

 further development. 



III. — A Note on the Black-faced Love-Bird (Agapornis 

 nigrigenis, W. L. Sclater). By Alwin Haagner, F.Z.S., 

 Assistant, Tvl. Museum. 



(Plate I.) 



In view of Mr. Reginald Phillipps's article on the above bird 

 in the May, 1908, number of the ' Avicultural Magazine,' and 

 of the fact that the Transvaal Museum possesses a series of 

 23 skins, while the Zoological Gardens contain seven living 

 examples, a few remarks and the accompanying coloured 

 figure may be welcome.* 



* [This plate went to press many months before the No. of the 

 Avic. Mag. ^vith coloured plate appeared. — Edd.] 



