tiie Birds of Humansdorp. 121 



passing the church the organ started playing, and 1 heard 

 two screeches and recognised them at once as the screech 

 of the Barn-Owl, and after watching for a little while I saw 

 one of the birds fly out of a round air-hole in one of the 

 gables of tiie church, so the next day I offered to rid them 

 of the ghost, which I did by setting two traps and caught 

 both birds ; and on examining the space inside, on the ceiling, 

 I found the nest, a hollow in a heap of shavings; there were 

 three eggs, which are now in my collection. 



Breeding season September to March. 



They lay from two to four white eggs. 



Scops Owl [Scops capensis), — Not uncommon. I caught 

 a pair in the hollow stump of a willow-tree in Hankey ; I 

 presented them to the Port Elizabeth Museum. Before 

 sending them away I had them in a cage, and the one laid 

 an egg on the floor of the cage ; the egg is pure white. 



Secretary-Bird {Serpentarms secretarius). — Common in 

 some parts of the district. It builds a large saucer-shaped 

 nest of sticks on the top of an isolated tree about ten or 

 twelve feet from the ground. 



Breeding season November to January. 



It lays two white eggs. 



Greater Flamingo (^Pliosnicopterus roseus). — An occa- 

 sional visitor. 



Blue Crane [Anthropoides paradisea). — Very common. 

 I have counted fifty-five together, flying to the marshy 

 ground and sand-hills at the mouth of the Gamtoos River 

 in the evening ; but during the breeding season they are 

 found in pairs all over the district. They usually lay on a 

 mound in a marshy place or at the side of a vlei or river. 

 Tiie young ones are very easily reared and become very 

 tame. 



Breeding season November to January. 



They lay two light brown oggs, spotted and blotched with 

 dark brown. 



