East London, Cape Province. 83 



fish. It is an exciting time, and when the pilchards come 

 along in January there is another just like it. These inter- 

 esting feeding operations are usually conducted about a mile 

 or two from the shore, and the birds are seldom within close 

 observation, though 1 have at odd times seen individual ones 

 }>assing up and down the tidal portion of the Buffalo River ; 

 and mention may be made of my having on 12th January, 

 1899, purchased from a native a young Malagash, or Gannet, 

 which he had captured at Gonubie liiver mouth some nine 

 miles to the eastwards. Its plumage was brownish black, 

 but a good bit lighter on the underparts, and the whole was 

 profusely marked with small white arrow-heads formed by 

 the tip of each heart-shaped feather being margined with 

 that colour. 



Pink-backed Pelican. (Pelecanvs roseus.) 

 Some years ago — 9th January, J904 — I inspected alive 

 specimen of this species, on its way to the Kingwilliamstown 

 Museum, which had been shot at and wounded about a dozen 

 miles on this side of the Kei River mouth. It was come 

 upon stalking along the sands, and I have not seen nor heard 

 of another one since. I have no doubt interestino- bird- 

 visitors look in on us at odd times, but it is only by the 

 merest chance one hears of them. 



White Stork. {Ciconki ciconia.) 



The nearest to the coast that I have noticed the Great 

 Locust Bird was at Berlin Station some 30 miles inland, and 

 that was within a few days of the end of May of this year. 

 It lingered about theie for three weeks, and then, presum- 

 ably, fell in with others that, like itself, had not reacted to 

 the usual migratory promptings. 1 have since heard that 

 about 80 of them were seen at Debe Nek, between King- 

 williamstown and Alice, early in June last, and a few in the 

 Komgha Division also at that time. On 4th November, 

 1905, I came upon a single specimen of the AVliite Stork in 

 the Kubusie River valley near Stutterheim ; but if a pro- 

 portion of them are liable to winter with us those arrival 

 dates which have been called for must be carefully scanned. 



