Occasional Notes. 113 



283. Gallinago major. (Double Snipe.) 

 Rare. 



284. Gallinago nigripennis. (Ethiopian Snipe.) 

 Rare. 



285. RosTRATULA CAPENSis. (Painted Snipe.) 

 Rare. 



286. Larus dominicanus. (Southern Black-backed Gall.) 

 Common at East London. 



287. OcEANiTES ocEANicus. (Wilson's Petrel.) 



One specimen obtained at East London, June 1902. 

 (Washed ashore dead.) 



288. Prion desolatus. (Narrow-billed Blue Petrel.) 

 Rare at East London. Specimen obtained July 1903. 



289. PoDiCEPS CAPENSIS. (Cape Dabchick.) 



Not uncommon. Shot specimen 31st October, 1908. 



290. Spheniscus demersus. (Jackass Penguin.) 

 Have observed specimen at East London. 



XIV. — Occasional Notes. 



7. The Pin-tailed Whydah ( Vidua sesena.) — On going 

 to my aviary this morning I noticed a hen Vidua 

 Serena on the ground, standing still but breathing very 

 hard. On changing my position a few minutes afterwards 

 I noticed that she had laid an egg. The egg is of a uniform 

 pinkish-white, but the pink tinge is evidently due to the 

 transparency of the shell, which is very thin. One end is 

 more rounded than the other, and about a quarter of the egg 

 at the thinner end is slightly rough and of a purer white. 

 It measures "63 X '44. I have not noticed this bird building, 

 and the spot where the egg was laid is a bare piece of land 

 with no attempt at a hollow whatever. Frank Bolus, 



Sherwood, 



Kenilworth, near Cape Town, 

 Sept. 28th, 1908. 



