28 Mr. C. G. Davies o« the Birds of the 



\vliistlin<!; note. It "svas associiilino; ^vitll some Yeilow-liilled 

 Duck, ami while flying the contrast in shape was very 

 marked. A friend ot" mine Avho lives in that part of the 

 district, and does a good deal of shooting, told me that about 

 two years ago he saw several of them and, although xcvy 

 wild, he managed to secure one of them. This species has 

 never been recorded from Cape Colony before. 



11). Sarkidiornis MELANOTUS (Penn.). Kno])-bill('(l Duck. 



On the same day that I saw the previous species 1 came 

 across eight of these fine ducks on a small weedy pan. They 

 were not very wild, but unfortunately T had only small shot 

 (no. (')) with me, and alhougli I had four shots at tlieni I 

 failed to secure one ; however, I went out after them the 

 next day with some larger shot and was lucky enough to 

 get one of them, a very fine specimen, an old male witli a 

 knob measuring 2 inches in height from the nostrils. TIk^ 

 eight birds seen were all adult males, with large knobs on 

 their bills. This must be a very rare duck in the district, 

 and I cannot find any trace of their having ever been seen 

 before. 



20. Chenalopex ^gyptiacus (L.). Egyptian Goose. 



A few usually visit the district during the winter months. 



21. Plectopterus gambensis NIGER, IScl. Black Spur- 

 wing. 



Although Mr. ITaagner in his article on this species in this 

 Journal states his opinion that there is only one species of 

 Spur-wing in S. Africa, I think the southern bird should be 

 kept separate as a subspecies under the above nanu>. J have 

 seen hundreds in this district and have shot a nuniber, besides 

 having seen many shot by others, and without exception they 

 have all been black birds, none of them having any white on 

 the head ami neck (with the excej)tion of a few white feathers 

 scattered here; and there on the cheeks), the white being con- 

 lined to th(! wing-coverts and a small patch on the abdomen, 

 rmming to a point on the lower breast : in fact the geiuTal 

 impression, seen at a little distance, is, that the bird is black. 



