760 BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA. 
the eastern frontier, but has been procured near Queen’s Town.” 
Mr. Rickard tells us that he has sbot it near Port Elizabeth on the 
Swartkops River. Mr. Ayres has met with it in Natal, and a pair 
were seen by Major Butler on a vley east of Newcastle on the 18th 
of September. Mr. Ayres states that it occurs in the Transvaal. 
“It is comparatively scarce,” writes Mr. Andersson, “in Great 
Namaqua and Damara Land; but I have traced it as far north as 
the River Okavango,” and Senor Anchieta has only met with it on 
the Coroca River in Southern Mossamedes. ) 
General colour above and below, dark brown, each feather being 
bordered with dirty white, thus imparting to the bird a scaled 
appearance; shoulder blue, succeeded by a bar of white, and then 
by another of shining green, on the inner side of which there is a 
patch of blue; head grey, finely mottled with dark brown speckles. 
The female is much less brilliantly coloured. Length, 21’; wing, 
94°’; tail, 32’’. 
Fig. Smith, Ill. Zool. 8. Afr. Aves, pl. 98. 
734, AYTHIA CAPENSIS (Cuv.). South-African Pochard. 
Nyroca brunnea, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 355. 
A periodical visitant to this end of the colony. We saw a pair in 
Zoetendals Vley in November, 1865, apparently breeding in the vast 
bed of rushes at the south end of the vley. In September we 
found it breeding at the Berg River. Eggs 5°8, pale cream colour. 
Axis, 2” 3’; diam. 1’ 9’’’, It has been found on the Kleinmont 
River by Dr. Atherston. Mr. Ayres has shot the species on the 
Sea-cow Lake, in Natal, in November; and Major Butler first saw 
it in the vley to the east of Newcastle, near the Ingagane, early in 
September. He saw a brood of five or six young ones, about ten 
days old, on the 18th of that month. Captain Reid observed three 
pairs of these Ducks on a small open vley, close to the main “ drift ”” 
and Fort Auriel, at Newcastle, on the 7th of November. In the 
Transvaal, Mr. Ayres says: ‘‘ This species is to be found on the 
lagoon at Loup-spruit, where a few years since it was plentiful, but 
has lately become much more scarce.” Mr. Andersson writes: 
“This species is only a visitor to Damara Land, and, I suspect, a 
rare one; for I only remember meeting with it there on one occa- 
sion, when I obtained several individuals from a flock which had 
settled on a vley, a day’s journey from Barmen. It is, however, 
