64



semilorquuta) is found near Graliamstown ; the Cape Lark ( A.

nivosa) is plentiful at Nel’s Poort, in the Karroo, and in Little

Naraaqua Laud, These birds feed upon seeds and insects.


The Rufous-capped, or Red-headed Lark ( Tephrocorys

cinerea ) is common throughout the Colony. If imported it

should be plentifully supplied with grit, as it is said to swallow

much gravel with its food.


Another abundant bird is the Thick billed Lark ( Calendula

crcissirostris), a handsome species which ought, I should think, to

be a singer, although Messrs. Sharpe and Layard say nothing

about its notes. The prettily-coloured Bar-tailed Lark is said to be

common at Port Elizabeth and would make an interesting Show-

bird, though its vocal utterances seem to be limited to a long

shrill “ phew,” most appropriate to the warm sandy spots which

it delights in. The Rufous-naped Lark ( Mira fra africana ) is

generally seen in pairs between Algoa Bay and Graliamstown ;

it occurs in Natal, where it is difficult to flush, as it runs with

great rapidity. At Port Elizabeth it is rare, in the Transvaal

it is tolerably plentiful to the west of Potchefstroom.


Among the Pipits the Cape Long-claw ( Macronyx

ccipensis), which both mews and sings, is very common in Natal.

Port Elizabeth, East London, and the Kuysna district, also locally

in the Transvaal. The Red-breasted Long-claw (/If. amelia ),

which is a handsome bird, also occurs on marshy flats along the

coast of Natal. The commonest of the S. African species,

however, is said to be the Cinnamon-backed Pipit, which is found

in abundance all over the Colony. The tiny Short-tailed Pipit

(A?ithus brachyurus'), a terrestrial bird which always alights on

the ground, is a common summer bird in Natal ; it is said to

make a charming aviary pet


Of the Wagtails,* an abundant species throughout the

Colony is the Cape Wagtail ( Motacilla cape?isis) ; it has a pretty

song. The Blue-headed Wagtail (. Budytes Jlava) appears in the

Transvaal in considerable numbers in the spring.



I must reserve the Doves, Game-birds, etc., for my next



paper.



(To be Concluded/.



•These are unavoidably included in the present papers, though purely insectivorous

(or at any rate not granivorous) birds, inasmuch as they belong to the same family with

the partly granivorous Pipits.—A. G. B.



