'Egg-Collecting in (he BusJiveld. 9 



an open valley where several notable birds are to be seen, 

 species which do not occur elsewhere on the road. A pair 

 of Blue Cranes (^1. paradisea) apparently had a nest in 

 November and December, but search as we woulil, after 

 watching the actions of the birds as soon as we came within 

 siiiht of them, we failed to find the eogs. I have been 

 credibly informed by those who have watched these birds 

 very carefully in a wild state, that the egos are always found 

 about a foot apart on the ground ; this is said to be on 

 account of the parent's habit of tucking the eggs under its 

 wings when brooding ; the bird is said to be very careful, 

 when it sees the approach of an intruder, to put the eggs 

 down and creep away unobtrusively for some distance before 

 standing up and exposing itself to view. 



At a sandy place where the road crosses the valley a few 

 AVheatears (^Scuvicola pileata) are nearly always to be seen ; 

 young ones were seen in September. This is the only spot 

 in the district where I have noted this. 



Near here the young of Temminck^s Courser (Cursorius 

 temmiiicki) were seen in September. The road now takes us 

 to the top of the ridge overlooking the bushveld. From this 

 place we gaze upon a wilderness of open forest, which is only 

 lost to sight many miles away to the north, where some hazy 

 blue hills can just be made out. Beginning at the top of the 

 ridge in the form of a few scattered and barren-looking trees, 

 the northern slope of the ridge gradually becomes more 

 heavily wooded until, at the base where the rocky or stony 

 ground gives place to sandy soil, the typical vegetation of 

 the bushveld begins. The road passes down an open valley, 

 in the middle of which there are pools of water, and here in 

 the stony ground one finds several rare species more akin to 

 the Western than Central Transvaal fauna. 



The Vaal Korhaan {Oti,s ludwigi) is heard on the top of the 

 ridge loudly challenging in its harsh and discordant voice, 

 and a solitary Kestrel (6". rujiiroluides) may be seen perched 

 on an ant-heaj). 



The lUifous Long-billed Lark (Ceithilundu alhofasviata) is 



