286 Mr. T. Ayres on Trans-Vaal Ornithology. 



124. Megalophonus NjEvius, Strickl. Dark-streaked Lark. 

 This species is fond of perching on the tops of bushes ; it 



has a short but pleasing song ; its food consists of insects. 



125. Megalophonus chenianus (Smith). Latakoo Lark. 

 This Lark somewhat resembles in its habits the English 



Skylark, rising in the air in the early morning, with the same 

 fluttering night and. singing sweetly all the time. I observed 

 this in the middle of February, towards the end of our sum- 

 mer; and the birds were then in pairs. 



The food of this species consists of small insects. 



146. Balearica regulorum (Licht.). Southern Crowned 

 Crane {vide Ibis, 1868, pp. 255,256, 1869, p. 376, and 1871, 

 p. 264). 



I have been fortunate enough to get two more eggs of this 

 Crane ; they are precisely similar to those mentioned in ( The 

 Ibis' for 1868, p. 256, except that those now obtained were 

 quite fresh, whereas the previous ones were much incubated, 

 and in consequence had a dirty, glossy, and worn appearance. 



These last eggs have changed but little in colour since they 

 were blown, but were perhaps scarcely so white before they 

 were emptied of their contents, and then showed more of the 

 pale green lining of the shell through the outer coating. 



One of these eggs measured 3^ inches by 2y\, the other 



3 T V by 2 T v 



They were taken from the nest on 22nd December, 1871, 

 by my friend Mr. J. C. Bodenstein, on whose statements I 

 can implicitly rely, and who also shot one of the old birds, the 

 skin of which I now have. 



The nest was found in an extensive swamp on the banks of 

 the Movi river, about twenty miles from Potchefstroom, and 

 was composed of rushes pulled and placed in a conical form 

 on the rank long grass, which falls over from its own weight 

 and forms a thick carpet of vegetation, often more than a foot 

 thick ; the nest was built where the water was about ankle- 

 deep, and contained two eggs only. 



