3G Mr. P. A. Sheppard ou Birds collected and 



little wliile, when one settled and remained hidden. I dis- 

 covered the nesting-hole, identical with the first ; the nest 

 contained three almost fully fledged young, of which I kept 

 the skins, and caught the female on the nest as \vell, but 

 could not get a shot at the male, as he flew away, and although 

 I waited for some time he did not return. Both birds kept 

 up a constant twittering while flying round the nest. Both 

 nests were about 3'-4' deep in the tunnel, which was in a 

 slightly slanting direction. 



100. HiRFNDO PUELLA, Temm. & Schl. Smaller Stri[)e- 

 breasted Swallow. 



Have only seen this bird, when passing on its way south 

 in October last, at M'Zimbiti, where 1 procured several 

 specimens flying over a white ant heap, after a shower of 

 rain, in company with H. rustica. Have never seen this 

 species near the coast at Beira. 



101. HiRUNDO MONTEIRI, Hartl. Monteiro's Swallow. 

 Fairly common here during the hot months only. 



102. PsALiDOPROCXE ORiENTALis, Rchw. Eastern Rough- 

 winged Swallow. 



1 have seen and shot this Swallow throughout the year, 

 but it is much more plentiful during the hotter months. 

 On several occasions during the last two or three weeks I 

 have watched these birds going through a most peculinr 

 performance. At first I thought they were building, as they 

 were constantly settling on dead tufts of grass, which had 

 become dried after being hoed up ; but on watching them 

 further, I noticed they picked up pieces and flew high up, 

 continually circling as they flew, and then dropped the grass, 

 not attempting to recover it ; this I saw done on many 

 occasions on different days, not only by one bird, but by 

 many. These birds are resident here throughout the year, 

 and by far our commonest Swallow. 



103. Pitta angolensis, Vieill. Angolan Pitta. 



A male brought in to me alive by a native, who said he 

 ^aw another in the woods running on the ground. 



