160 FRINGILLARIA IMPETUANl. 



having been obtained by Henderson in Angola; but the 

 description he gives of the species is taken from an example 

 in the Paris Museum. There is no reason why this Bunting 

 should not range into Angola, for according to Andersson, 

 the species is " Common in Damara and Grreat Namaqualand ; 

 but as it frequently resorts to the ground in search of seeds 

 and insects, it often thus escapes observation ; it is gregarious, 

 and is partial to broken ground or its immediate vicinity, and 

 also to the neighbourhood of water, which it appears to require 

 pretty constantly." Layard remarks : " Common about Nel's 

 Poort, flying in small flocks and feeding on small grass seeds 

 and insects. It has a short lively song." The species is, 

 according to Stark, somewhat locally distributed in Cape 

 Colony, but generally common where found, as in the Karroo 

 and on the Orange river. It is more abundant towards the 

 north and north-east districts of the Colony." He further 

 remarks : " The eggs described by Mr. Layard as of this bird 

 appear to be those of some other species, as a clutch from 

 a nest in the Karroo, on which I snared the hen, do not at 

 all resemble his description either as regards size or colour. 

 They are pale bluish white, rather heavily clouded and spotted 

 with brownish yellow and red, and measure 072 x 0'60. The 

 cup-shaped nest was built of dry grass in a hollow at the foot 

 of a bush. The resemblance of this Bunting to a Lark is 

 not only in colour, but extends to some of its habits, for it 

 runs and crouches on the ground just like one of the latter 

 birds." 



Sir Andrew Smith, when he first described this species, 

 wrote : " Inhabits the country between Ru Gariep and Tropic. 

 Some years ago I found specimens of this species inhabiting 

 the arid districts of Little Namaqualand." Captain Trevelyan 

 met with it near Kingwilliamstown, and Mr. T. Ayres pro- 

 cured one specimen iu the bare open country of the Transvaal, 

 but the exact locality is not recorded. 



