THE VICTORIAN NATURALIST. 29 



November and December are the best months for Coleoptera. 

 A fair variety of this order are exhibited to-night, but are not 

 determined. 



Reptiles are fairly numerous. Lamphrophis rufulus and Tri- 

 merorhinus jyhombealus are the most common Ophidians ; Boodon 

 lineatiis and Typhlops Delalandii are scarce, while Lycophidium 

 Capense is very rare. Zonurous cordylus is the most uncommon 

 of the Saurians ; Rana angolensis is the rarest Batrachian. 



I presented a specimen of this frog {liana angolensis), a new 

 species of snake, and a specimen of Lycophidium Capense to 

 Mr. W. S. Slater, Director of the South African Museum, Cape 

 Town. 



The favourite collecting ground for the ornithologist is a district 

 named Witpoortje, i6 miles from Johannesburg. The Limpopo 

 River has its source in this district, and the river runs between 

 two immense rugged cliffs. The aloes, sugar bush, and such 

 plants grow luxuriantly here, and furnish attractions for the 

 nectar-loving birds. From the source to the falls, a distance of 

 five miles, the scenery is welcome and refreshing, and, indeed, all 

 that can be desired for a field botanist. Unfortunately, the club 

 is not possessed of an authority on the subject, and those 

 members following this branch of science are working at a great 

 disadvantage. 



One of the bee-eaters, Merops apiaster, arrives here in October, 

 and its pleasing chirrup tells us the migratory birds are returning. 

 When insect life is plentiful it is a beautiful sight to see a flock of 

 these rich-coloured bee-eaters flying in an encircling manner along 

 the sides of the hills. An occasional bird settles for a moment on 

 the limb of a dead tree, then flies off with a large hawk moth, 

 which it throws into the air, and artfully catches again, after the 

 manner in which a cat plays with a mouse. A nest of the 

 Hammerkop, Scopus umbretta, was discovered in this district. It 

 was placed in a tree which overhung a large pool in the stream. 

 It measured 5 feet high by 4 feet in diameter, and was constructed 

 of large sticks, tufts of grass, rags, hoop-iron, and paper. Photo- 

 graphs were taken from three directions, but by some mishap the 

 plates got spoilt. We visited the locality for another attempt 

 with our camera, but to our dismay we learned that some Boers 

 had taken away the nest for fuel. A specimen of the Ground 

 Woodpecker, Geocolaptes olivaeeus, exhibited to-night, was shot 

 near Witpoortje in February last. This bird, though having in 

 appearance all the characteristics of the woodpecker, is now 

 rarely seen on trees. It also searches for its food on swampy 

 grounds, river banks, or between the crevices of rocks. Its 

 favourite resting places are on the ledges of rocks which are in 

 the vicinity of rivers. 



On 6th November, 1897, with two other members of the club. 



