16 Mr. Austin Hoborts on 



takes exception to his attentions and hops on to another 

 branch, where he follows, now uttering a softer cooing note 

 and puffing out the feathers round his neck, bowing re- 

 peatedly as he does so. More often than not she objects to his 

 attentions, and hops first from one branch, then to another, 

 and finally fhes away altogether. Eggs are laid at all times 

 of the year, though October and November seem to be the 

 most favoured months in the Transvaal. The eggs are 

 rounded at both ends, as a rule, and two eggs the invariable 

 clutch ; they measure about 28'5 x 21'5. 



The Laughing J)o\e {Titrhtr se)iegalensis) \s not so common 

 as the last species. It is not so noisy, and its call is a gentle 

 " Coo coo coo coo-coo-coo-. '^ It lays at about the same time 

 as T. capicola damarensis, and its nest and eggs are difficult 

 to distinguish from those of that species ; but the eggs of 

 this species are smaller. Neither are particular in the 

 choice of a nesting-site, though in the bushveld the matted 

 branches of the heavy-topped thorn-trees are preferred. 



Long-tailed Dove {Oena capensls). — The Namaqua Dove 

 is found near the old camping grounds and homesteads, and 

 amongst the thorn-bushes of the valleys. It is a quiet bird, 

 more often than not startling one as it rises from the open 

 ground where it has been feeding or from its perch on 

 a small dry bush. Its nest is a thin platform of roots 

 placed on the leaves of an aloe within a foot of the ground, 

 or on a dead bush, but never more than five feet from the 

 ground. The two eggs comprising the clutch are laid, as 

 a rule, during the latter winter months (July-September) ; 

 they are pale yellowish in colour and measure al)out 

 21-5 X IC mm. 



The Transvaal Guinea-fowl {Xinuida coronata transracd- 

 ensis) is plentiful in such ])laces as the neighbourhood of the 

 pan, where it is protected. No search was made for nests, 

 though old ones were observed in the heart of matted patches 

 of dwarfed thorn-bushes. 



