10 Mr. H. Leiffhton Hare 



on 



parties of 10 or 12 being seen too-ether. They breed in the 

 district^ and may sometimes be heard making a drumming 

 noise, which carries a long distance. Only the Veld Paauw 

 (^Otis cafra) was identified with certainty. 



Three species of Knorhaan, namely, the Blue {Otis cceru- 

 lescens), the Vaal (0. vi</orsi), and the White-quilled (0. 

 afroides), are found in the district. I should like to see all 

 of them placed under absolute protection, on the sauje 

 footing with the large and small locust-birds. They feed 

 largely on locusts in the " voetganger '^ stage, and also on a 

 certain caterpillar which has increased so rapidly during 

 the last few years as to constitute a serious pest. Not many 

 of the Blue variety are left in the district. The Vaal 

 Knorhaan is fairly evenly distributed throughout, generally 

 being seen in twos or threes. The White-quilled Knorhaan 

 is scarce in some parts and plentiful in others. Their 

 numbers fluctuate, however, and although plentiful in a 

 locality one year there may be very few the following year, 

 even though there has been no shooting This, I think, 

 must be due to disease — certainly many are troubled with 

 worms in the intestines. 



I cannot pass these birds by without quoting a couple of 

 instances to show how soon one whose mate has been killed 

 will find another. T had been asked specially to obtain a 

 few specimens of Knorhaan for the South African Museum, 

 and got permission from a farmer to shoot three on his farm. 

 ThesCj he informed me, were the only ones on his place. I 

 arrived there in the afternoon. The farmer was away from 

 horaOj but a native who knew where the birds were to be 

 found was placed at my disposal. On the way I enquired 

 whether there were any other Knorhaan on the farm. "No,'' 

 he was quite emphatic, there were only three and they were 

 always to be found in a small patch of lucerne not far from 

 the homestead. In due course we ran across the birds, two 

 of which Mere bagged. The third became very wary, and 

 after a lot of manoeuvring I abandoned the chase late in the 

 afternoon. Next morning at breakfast time I was astonished 

 to see the old bird back in the lucerne-patch with a new 



