82 J. Wood — Bird Sol Of from 



catin<>- attitude, Leld out to dry, lor quite a Ion**; time. They 

 thus make themselves look a bit grotesque. 



The Reed-Duiker (^P kalacrocorax africamis) occurs here 

 also, and may be seen either singly or in j)airs pretty well 

 all the year round, swimming about the Buffalo Harbour, 

 and likewise upon our Town Reservoir, where it breeds 

 amongst the rushes — a sanctuary it shares with the Grebe, 

 the Water-hen, the Coot, and Wild Duck. 



Darter, or Snake-bird. (AnJunr/a ru/a.) 



This is a resident sj)ecies, though 1 do not think there are 

 more than a couj)le oE pairs to about 20 miles ot" our coast 

 here, notwithstanding there is a river entering the sea every 

 second or third mile, I hose (about half of them) which are 

 " blind " at the mouth being the ones the Darter seems to 

 prefer. They are very shy birds, and have never let me 

 reach a favourable position for watching them intimately. 

 Now and again I have noticed one making a flight high 

 overhead, holding its long neck stiffly out as if determined 

 to get on ; and once I saw one upon a])proaching the Gonubie 

 River at a considerable elevation, start circling a good many 

 times, going away and coming back, and circling again to a 

 wearisome extent before finally settling. Whilst doing all 

 that, it two or three times gave utterance to a whistling- 

 shriek, and though I heard no answering one, the bird was 

 doubtless trying to locate its mate. 



Malagash. (^Sula capensis.) 



This is a common bird along our coast, one of its breeding- 

 resorts — Bird Island, off Port Elizabeth — being near at hand ; 

 and when it is most in evidence during the winter months 

 its fine feats as a diver attract attention almost every day. 

 In May or June, when the shoals of mackerel pa«s eastwards, 

 the Malagash follow uj) in large numbers, and then one may 

 sometimes witness a sort of avian waterfall ; those in the 

 front ranks for ever precipitating themselves upon the tish, 

 while the others are either by the hundreds pushing forwards 

 for position, or have just left the sea to mount onwards and 

 again make the headlong plungr' upon coining abrea-t of the 



