42 CINNYRICINCLUS VERREAUXI 



The Southern Violet-backed Starhng ranges in Western 

 Africa from Loango into Damaraland and throughout Central 

 and Eastern Africa, from the Orange River Colony and Natal 

 to about 1° N. lat. 



The species has been obtained in Ijoango by Falkenstein, 

 Lucan and Petit ; by Bohndorff at Leopoldsvillc on the 

 Congo, and is generally distributed over Angola, ]3enguela 

 and Damaraland. The species was discovered at Caconda 

 by x\nchieta, according to whose notes, it feeds principally 

 upon fruit, and is known to the natives by the following 

 variety of names: " Giroe " at Biballa, " Quiro-musole " at 

 Quilleugues, " Sue-Sue" at Humbe and "Donga" at Caconda. 

 Chapman wrote : '' Common in the Lake regions and in 

 Damaraland, but here only as a migratory bird. A few 

 individuals, however, probably remain throughout the year, 

 for I have observed such long after the general migration 

 is over. The male arrives first, and, so far as I have 

 observed, associates but little with the female, who differs 

 so marvellously from him " [Trav. Interior S. Afr. ii. 

 p. 404 (18G8)]. 



The species is apparently absent from Namaqualand and 

 Cape Colony, although it has been found in the Orange liiver 

 Colony and Southern Natal, and is abundant from the Yaal 

 Eiver to the Equator ; a few have been observed north of 

 the Line, where it meets with its near ally, N. Icacogaster. 

 Mr. T. L. Ayres told me that it occurs at Durban as well 

 as Pinetown, but was never very connnon there. His father 

 remarked that in Natal it is less plentiful than the other 

 Glossy Starhng ("Ibis," 18G2, p. 2'J) ; "Small fruits form 

 their principal diet, although the}' sometimes feed on Mies 

 and the winged females of tlic white ant, rising and taking 

 them on the wing similarly to Flycatchers. In fact, almost 

 every bird and beast that 1 know will occasionally feed on 



