Mr. Layard's 'Birds of South Africa.' 261 



Gallinago major (Gmel.). Solitary Snipe. 



This Snipe, though not included in Mr. Layard's catalogue, 

 is a regular migrant to Natal, where it arrives in September and 

 October, and leaves in January or February, as before mentioned 

 in this Journal (1861, p. 134). Mr. Ayres has also met with 

 it in the Transvaal, but informs me that it is less frequent in its 

 occurrence there than it is in Natal. 



624. Gallinago ^quatorialis, Riipp. Black-quilled Snipe. 



Mr. G. R. Gray informs me that, after a comparison of spe- 

 cimens in the British Museum, he agrees with Mr. Layard in 

 considering Gallinago nigripennis of Bonaparte to be identical 

 with G. cequatorialis of Riippell. 



I have included this species under the former name in two of 

 my lists of the birds of Natal (Ibis, 1864, p. 355, and 1868, 

 p. 51). 



631. Rallus aquaticus, Linn. Water-Rail. 

 It may be worth while mentioning that I have seen this spe- 

 cies from Dainara Land as well as from Natal. 



Ortygometra pygm^a (Vieill.). Baillon^s Crake. 



This species, which is not included in Mr. Layard^s cata- 

 logue, inhabits the colony of Natal, as recorded by Mr. Ayres 

 (Ibis, 1865, p. 273). The late Mr. Andersson also met with it 

 in Damara Land, where he found its nest " repeatedly " {cf. 

 Proc. Zool. Soc. 1864, p. 7). 



636. CoRETHRURA RUFicoLLis (J. E. Gray). Jardinc's 

 Crake. 



This species is found in Natal, as recorded in ' The Ibis ' for 

 1859 (p. 249) ; and I am informed by Mr. Ayres that it also 

 occurs in the Transvaal. 



643. FuLiCA CRisTATA, Gmel. Crested Coot. 



Mr. Ayres, in travelling fi'om Natal to Potchefstroom in the 

 month of December, found this Coot breeding so abundantly on 

 the larger lagoons that he and his companion collected six hundred 

 of its eggs in a single day. Most of the nests contained from 

 three to five eggs each. 



