LAGONOSTICTA RENDALLI 261 
River, in Benguela, and by a male and female from Ondonga, 
in Ovampoland, collected by Andersson, who also met with 
the species at Ovaquenyama in Damaraland. I am not aware 
of its occurring further south in Western Africa, nor have 
I seen a specimen from south of the Transvaal; but Stark 
gives its range as “from the south of Natal northward 
through Zululand,” &e. 
The species is abundant and evenly distributed over the 
eastern half of South Africa, and is represented in the British 
Museum from Potchefstroom (T. Ayres), Rustenburg (W. 
Lucas), Pretoria (Pratt), Limpopo River (Oates), Tatin River 
(Jameson), Mozambique (Guinsius), Tete (Kirk), Zambesi 
(Alexander). 
Stark writes: ‘Somewhat common in the Transvaal 
between Potchefstroom and the Limpopo River, in small 
flocks, or perhaps more often in single pairs. They feed on 
the ground, almost exclusively on grass-seed, keep close 
together when feeding, and are gentle and affectionate in their 
manners. While hopping about on the ground they con- 
stantly repeat a soft twittering note, which is changed to a 
sharp call when they take flight. Like many of the South 
African small birds they breed very irregularly in the Trans- 
vaal, both in the summer and winter. A nest taken towards 
the beginning of June was placed on the ground in the centre 
of a tuft of grass. It was domed with a small side entrance, 
and was loosely woven from coarse grass lined with feathers. 
It contained three white eggs averaging 0°56 x 0°45.” 
Mr. Boyd Alexander, when on the Zambesi, made the 
following remarks: ‘“ Frequents waste places, overgrown with 
long grass, near the river. On August 16, we found a nest 
placed in a small bush close to the ground. The nest was 
domed and composed of pieces of Indian corn-blades and lined 
with fine grass-bents and Quinea-fowl feathers. The eggs, 
