"9^ 



Collection of Birds 



The beautiful male bird is black and yellow in colouring. 

 At the mating time, in March, I saw it on the velt, near Pare 

 ya Maboga, going through a most wonderful performance. It 

 ascended high in the air, and after some extraordinary evolutions 

 perched on a tree. I was reminded of a canary escaped from 

 its cage. The green grass of the velt was then very high and 

 I myself in a great hurry, and so I did not succeed in finding 

 its nest. I suppose the birds only began building their nests 

 about this time of the year. The nearest water-hole was to be 

 found at a distance of one hour and a half away from the place 

 the birds frequented. 



Alaudidae 



298. Mirafra pcedlostenia (Rchw.) Yumbe ya Mawe, II. 



299. Mirafra iiitercedens, Rchw. Njiri, VI. ; Ngaptuk, X. ; 

 Donje Erok, VIII., IX. ; Matiom, XI. ; Kilimanjaro, VIII. 



300. Mirafra cantillans (Jerd.; Blyth. Gonga Plains, XII. 



301. Mirafra albicauda, Rchw. Donje Erok, IX. 



302. Mirafra Jisc/wri {Kchw.). Kahe, IV.; Mirwani Kibwezi, 

 II. 



This lark produces a very peculiar rattling kind of noise 

 which may be heard a long way off. I have heard it in January, 

 Februar}-, and March. Even when 200 paces from the camp }-ou 

 imagine when the bird commences the noise that it is quite near. 

 This rattling is effected through a rapid movement of the wings; 

 I ascertained this myself for a fact. The bird onl\- produces 

 this rattle when it rises a few feet from the ground. This rattling 

 resembles the noise created by beating a thin board with whale- 

 bone rods. The bird often perches on dead branches. 



303. Mirafra africaua at/ii, Hartl., Kiraragua Matiom, XI. ; 

 Kilimanjaro, VIII. 



304. Pyrrhulanda /tv/tv/Z.s- (Stanl. ). Kilimanjaro, VI II. 



305. Pyrrhulanda leucopareia (Eschr.). Njiri, \'. ; Yumbe \-a 

 Mawe, IV. ; Kilimanjaro, VIII. 



306. Calandrella athcnsis (Sharpe). Matiom, XI. 



in 



