FLYCATCHERS 21 



It nests under a rock or stone, occasionally in a wall 

 or under a tussock of grass. 



At Springfontein, where the Boers call both this bird 

 and the Familiar Chat the " Dagbreker," we found the 

 latter bird nesting in holes in walls, banks, outbuildings, 

 &c., whereas the Sickle-wing was only found in the 

 cultivated land and on the " flats " of the veld, where it 

 nests either in an ant-heap, or under a bush or tuft of 

 grass. The nest is rather a deep cup, of dried weed-stalks 

 and small twigs, lined with fibre and hair. The nest in 

 the photograph (p. 20) was situated under a wild "Forget- 

 me-not " on level ground and contained three eggs ; on 

 the same flat was another nest containing young, also 

 under a weed. The eggs are usually three in number and 

 of a light bluish-green colour, sparsely freckled on the 

 blunt end with greyish-buff. 



The White-shouldered Bush Chat (Thamnolcea cinna- 

 momeiventris) is glossy blue-black above and below, ex- 

 cepting the shoulders, which are adorned with a con- 

 spicuous white patch, and the rump region, abdomen 

 and flanks, which are chestnut. A whitish bar separates 

 the black of the breast from the chestnut. 



It is fairly common on the krantzes in the Graham- 

 town kloofs, where it usually lays in old Swallow nests. 

 Three eggs of a bluish-white ground spotted and dotted 

 with lavender-grey and yellowish-brown are deposited. 



It is found in Upper Natal, and we met with it at 

 Orange Grove, just outside of Johannesburg (north). 



FLYCATCHERS. 



The Flycatchers (Family Muscicapidce) may all be in- 

 cluded amongst the truest friends of the agriculturist, and 

 are also dwellers of forest and bush. 



