ONYCHOGNATHUS MORIO 107 



noticed a pair devour the callow young of a Cape Sparrow, 

 notwithstanding a sturdy defence by the parent birds. On 

 the coast the Red-wing frequents the beach and searches 

 the sea-weed for sandhoppers and small molluscs ; berries of 

 various kinds are habituall}^ eaten, especially those of the 

 syringa-tree, on which they sometimes gorge themselves until 

 they are no longer capable of flight, or perhaps are affected 

 by some narcotic property of the berry itself. 



" These Starlings build their nests of small sticks, straws 

 and various soft materials, in the holes and crevices of rocks 

 and krantzes, sometimes among the rocks on the beach, just 

 out of reach of the waves, occasionally under the roofs of 

 houses. The eggs, four or five in number, are bluish green, 

 somethnes sparingly marked, chiefly at the larger end, with 

 spots of reddish brown. They average 1'45 x 0"95." 



During my short visit to Cape Colony I saw the species 

 close to Cape Town, Ceres and Port Elizabeth. In Natal the 

 Messrs. Butler, Fielden and Reid, mention these Starlings as, 

 " Common in flocks in rocky places, especially in the New- 

 castle district, scattering in pairs for the breeding season in 

 October. Butler gives the following account of its nidifica- 

 tion. Found a nest nearly finished, on November 6, 1881. 

 It was placed on a ledge of rock under a projecting slab of 

 rock overhanging a stream, about 3 feet above the level of the 

 water, and consisted of a large mass of dry grass, matted 

 together with mud, and lined with the same kind of grass, 

 looking not unlike a large Blackbird's nest ; the old birds 

 were by no means shy, flying to and fro with building material 

 in their beaks in my presence." 



From the Zambesi Mr. Boyd Alexander writes : " Not 

 common. Only three specimens obtained. When in flocks 

 they are shy and fly at a considerable altitude. They breed 

 about the middle of August, generally choosing holes in the 



