80 J. AVootl — Bird SiUi's from 



X. — The Black-tailed Godwit (Liiiiosi liniosn, Linn.) in 

 J^'atal. By E. C. Chubb, Curator of the Durban Museum. 



An exani])le of this species was obtained in Durban Bay, in 

 the early part of Februaiy last, by Mr. Harold M. Millar, 

 who presented it to the Durban Museum. When seen, 

 Mr. Millar tells me, it was alone on the mud at the edge 

 o£ the Bay, t'eedino- in a similar manner to a Curlew, and 

 thrusting its bill down the hole ot' a craker-shrinip. It 

 whistled in a short chirping manner. 



This species is found in Central and Northern Europe 

 and Siberia during the Northern sunnner, and sj)ends the 

 Northern -winter in the Mediterranean region and North- 

 east Africa, . but has not hitherto been recorded south of 

 Abyssinia, as far as I am aware ; so that its appearance 

 here, in Natal, is not a little remarkable. 



The present example agrees very well with the description 

 of the bird in winter-plumage given in the British Museum 

 (Catalogue, and, from its reddish bill, one would judge it to 

 be a female. It measures : total length 17 inches, culmen 4, 

 wing &6, tail 2-7, tarsus '6 2. 



The only other Godwit which visits Africa is the Bar- 

 tailed Godwit [Limosa lapponica, Linn.), whose southern 

 limits on this continent are the Gambia on the west and 

 >>onudiland on the east. It also occurs in Madagascar. 



Xr. — Bird ]S\-)tes from .East London, Cape Province. 

 Bart I. By John Wood. 



I PRESENT herewith a few notes jotted down as, for the 

 most ])art, week-end observations throughout many years of 

 residence at East London. 



I have taken the species as they come in the first ninety 

 pages of volume iv. of Stark and Sclater's ' Birds of 

 S. Africa,' but am afraid readers of oiii- Ornithological 

 Journal will find little that is original in what follows. 



