Egg-Collecthuj In the Bushvehl. 31 



it lives. I have not seen this bird in the Transvaal during 

 the winter months. 



Lesser Red-shouldered Glossy Starling {LamprocoUiis 

 pJioenicopterus Uspeculans). — The size of this subspecies varies 

 in the Northern Transvaal, some specimens being quite as 

 large as the typical Cape birds ; but the amount of copper 

 on the slionlders and blue on the wing-coverts is greater. 

 This Starling is common in all parts ot the country where 

 thorn-trees {Acacia horrida) are found in abundance. Its 

 nest is a collection of soft material, such as wool, feathers, 

 hair and fibres, and invariably a snake skin or two, placed 

 in some natural hole or crack in a tree, sometimes within a 

 foot of the ground. The clutch consists of three eggs, 

 which are pale greenish blue, sparingly speckled with light 

 red, and measure 28"8-30x 20*5-21 mm. November and 

 December are the nesting months. 



Burchell's Glossy Starling {Lamprocolms australis). — A 

 pair of these Stai'lings was found nesting in a hole in a tree 

 not five feet from the ground ; but I was too early for eggs 

 and the birds deserted it. They must have made another 

 nest, as they did not leave the neighbourhood, but, search as 

 I would, I could not find it. Mr. P. J. Pienaar found a 

 nest with one fresh egg during our trip to Platriver on 18th 

 November : it was in a natural hole in a tree at a height of 

 about twelve feet from the ground. Others were seen in the 

 tall gnarled trees some distance from the pan, but were too 

 difticult to get at to bo worth the trouble of examining. 

 The egg taken at Platriver is of a uniform pale greenish 

 blue colour, and measures 29*3x22 mm. 



Buffalo Weaver ( Textor nhjer) — This bird is very local 

 and is not often seen at places other than where it has its 

 nests. To the West, North, and East of the pan several of 

 the large trees bore numbers of their nests. 



Eggs were not laid until about the 16th of November, and 

 as those examined contained only one or two fresh eggs, I 

 do not know what the normal clutch is. Those that were 



