in Zululand, ivith Notes on its Birds. 419 



kept it tame for some time ; but when about half-grown it 

 was unfortunately killed by some Carrion-Crows, who tore 

 it to pieces. Although the flesh ot" this Bustard is good 

 eating, many of the Boers in the Transvaal have a prejudice 

 against it and will not toucli it. 



The " Koran '^ or '' Knorhaan" [Otis afro) is not so gre- 

 garious as the Paauw, and is generally met with in pairs. We 

 once obtained two unfledged young ones and reared them ou 

 minced meat and meal. One o£ them throve well, but having 

 a propensity for swallowing anything which came in its way, 

 ultimately died from eating a piece of glass. The Secretary- 

 bird {Serpentarius secretarius) seems to be very widely distri- 

 buted. It can run with great swiftness, and it requires careful 

 stalking to come up with it, as this bird is always ou the 

 alert, and, without using its wings, soon leaves the pursuer 

 far behind. It has a very intelligent way of attacking 

 snakes : it spreads out one of its wings as a shield whilst 

 it seizes the prey in its beak, shaking it from side to side 

 until it is stunned before attempting to swallow it. One that 

 we shot here was 3 feet 3 inches in length, and had an expanse 

 of wing of 6 feet. To judge by the contents of the stomach, 

 it must be a very useful bird ; we found in it the remains of 

 four snakes, several lizards, two rats, and a number of locusts. 

 We have seen this bird in a state of domestication and so tame 

 that, though allowed complete freedom, it would not leave 

 the place, nor did it molest the poultry. 



On the 27th of June we started on the back ward- track, 

 deciding to take the coast-route, and accordingly proceeded 

 ten miles towards the Inpokenyoni district and outspanned 

 on the veldt. Here we shot a " Dikkop " {(Edicnemus 

 capensis), a large Plover and good eating. It has beautiful 

 large yellow eyes. We went on through hilly country covered 

 with scattered thorns, and crossed the Hluliluwe river at the 

 high drift. This part of the country is very dry, and we 

 had to trek for 15 miles after Avading the stream before we 

 could obtain water ; fever is prevalent in the summer. Here 

 we collected a good deal of wild cotton, which is useful for 

 stuffing birds. It is a creeping-plant and completely covers 



