GAME-BIRDS OF SOUTH AFRICA 



of most African game-birds. I have heard it said that the 

 Dikkop is a foul feeder, and certainly it is sometimes found 

 in fair numbers near the village rubbish-heaps, but I believe 

 it is attracted there by the flies and beetles, etc. 



The Dikkop utters a curious shrill trilling note — 

 sounding like " Tree-tree-tree " rapidly repeated. A tame 

 bird in the Zoological Gardens at Pretoria would always 

 start calling when whistled to, and would at the same time 

 fan out its tail, slightly droop its wings, and work itself 

 into a perfect frenzy of excitement. 



The bird lays two eggs in a slight hollow. They are 

 pale stony-grey, blotched and splashed with deep brown 

 and black. They measure about 2.2 by 1.6 in. 



The young are very pretty little things of an ash-grey 

 colour with longitudinal black stripes, and as soon as they 

 are hatched they follow the old bird. 



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