CISTICOLA NATALENSIS. - 261 
“T found a family of this Drymoica in July (midwinter here) 
about forty miles inland, amongst some scrubby bush; also a 
solitary individual some time after, in some high sedgy grass. 
These birds seem much to resemble Drymoica subflava in habits and 
appearance. Their food consists of small insects.” Mr. Barratt 
procured a specimen at Macamac, and Mr. Gurney has recently 
presented to the British Museum two specimens obtained in the 
same district by Mr. Ayres on the 3rd December, 1874. 
Adult male.—Above brown, nearly uniform everywhere, the head 
indistinctly mottled with darker brown centres, the lower back and 
rump slightly washed with olive; wings brown, duller than the 
back, with paler edgings to the feathers, the primaries narrowly 
margined with whity brown; tail ight brown, waved across with 
dusky under certain lights, the feathers narrowly tipped with white, 
with a faint indication of a subterminal blackish bar; lores and a 
very distinct eyebrow, as well as a circlet of feathers round the eyes, 
pale yellow; a few plumes between the eye and the base of bill 
dusky brown, as also the upper margin of the ear-coverts ; rest of 
the sides of the face and throat, lemon yellow, entirely unspotted ; 
rest of under surface of body’yellow, unspotted on the abdomen, but 
distinctly streaked with black down the chest and on the sides of the 
body; flanks washed with yellowish brown; thighs and under tail- 
coverts tawny buff; under wing-coverts also tawny buff, the edge of 
the wing white ; quills brown below, the inner web edged with tawny 
rufous; bill black; legs flesh-colour; iris light brown. Total 
length, 5°3 inches ; culmen, 0°55; wing, 2°1; tail, 2°7; tarsus, 0-9. 
Adult female.—Similar to the male, but smaller. Total length, 
4:7 inches; culmen, 0°5; wing, 1:95; tail, 2°2; tarsus, 0°85. 
With twelve tail feathers (Cisticola). 
246. CIsTICOLA NATALENSIS. Natal Fantail Warbler. 
Drymoica natalensis, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 87 (1867). 
Entirely confined to Natal and the surrounding districts, but as yet 
not known within the limits of the Cape Colony, nor to the eastward 
in the Transvaal. Its large size, stout bill and tawny colouring seem 
to be its most distinguishing characteristics. 
Sir Andrew Smith writes as follows :—“Inhabits the neighbour- 
hood of Port Natal, and the specimen described was shot upon 
reeds, among which it was flitting to and fro in search of insects, 
which, from the ingesta found in its stomach, appeared to have been 
