24 Mr. Austin Roberts on 



November, I did not succeed in finding a nest. An egg 

 in the Transvaal Museum collection, taken by Streeter at 

 Hector Spruit, is rough and soiled, and was evidently much 

 advanced in incubation when taken ; no date is given ; it 

 measures 38*2 x 28 3 mm. 



Yellow - billed Hornbill (LopJcoeeros leucomelas). — This 

 species is quite as common as the preceding. A nest was 

 discovered by my observing a pair going down to the gulley 

 and returning with mud to a certain tree ; it was situated 

 quite close to the ground, and as the holes had not all been 

 closed up, I left it undisturbed for a fortnight. On visiting 

 the nest on 18th November, I found that the nest must have 

 been disturbed before the time of my first finding it, for it 

 contained a dead young one, though the hen had again shut 

 herself in. Visiting it again on 12th December, I found 

 that the birds had deserted it. Two eggs, taken by Streeter 

 at Hector Spruit, are like that of the preceding species, 

 though less soiled, but smaller in size, measuring 34"2x 35"5 

 and 355 x 26-2 mm. 



Striped Kingfisher {Halcyon cJielicuti). — This bird was 

 sometimes seen in open forest, usually under '' Boekenhout " 

 trees. It occurs at Wonderboom and Baviaanspoort on the 

 Magaliesberg, near the city of Pretoria, and I have there 

 found young ones in old Barbets' nests in September. 



Little Bee-eater (^Melittophagusmeridionalis). — A few pairs 

 were observed in the open gullies. This bird breeds regularly 

 every year, in October, in sandpits around Pretoria, laying- 

 three white eggs. The nests are nearly always made in a 

 low sand-bank, and the entrance, which, being snuill, is 

 easily overlooked, leads straight into the chamber, which is 

 situated about three feet from the entrance ; the eggs are 

 roundish, glossy white, and measure 18-18*5 x 15*5-16. 



I oncetooka young Honeyguido from the nest of this bird 

 and found three apparently fresh eggs in the chamber 

 together with it; this is hard to account for, unless they 

 ■were laid after the Honeyguide was hatched and the foster 



