64 NATURE AND SPORT IN SOUTH AFRICA 



Amongst two or three bullfinches, the yellow bull- 

 finch has a very melodious voice, and claims a place 

 among other Cape songsters. South Africa boasts a 

 few sparrows, one of which, the Cape sparrow (Passer 

 arcuatus), answers in many respects to the familiar 

 nuisance of Europe. 



The touracos {MusopliagidoS), sometimes called 

 plantain-eaters, are peculiar to Africa. A familiar 

 one, on nearing the Tropic of Capricorn, is Schizorliis 

 concoloT, a plain drab-coloured bird, strongly crested, 

 which invariably salutes the presence of man by a 

 loud-screaming " quah-quah ! " Many a head of 

 game is lost to the hunter by these annoying birds. 



The hornbills — quaint, ugly, and bizarre, with their 

 monstrous bills of yellow, red, or black — are very 

 interesting. They are commonly found among wood- 

 land, and especially in acacia forests. A remarkable 

 habit, in some species of thisTamily, is the plastering 

 up by the male of the hen bird (which selects a hole 

 in the tree for nidification) during her period of laying 

 and hatching out. Only a small aperture is left, 

 through which the cock bird assiduously feeds the 

 hen and her family. 



Parrots are not strongly represented in South 

 Africa. North of the Orange River, one of the 

 prettiest and most familiar is RiippelFs parrot {Psit- 

 tacus Tup2^elli), which is often to be seen in Transvaal 

 farmhouses, and makes a tame and confiding pet. 



