302 OTID#] OTIS 



The following are South African localities : Cape Colony Cape 

 division and near Upington, on the Orange Elver (S. A. Mus.), 

 Ceres and Beaufort West (Layard), Sunday Eiver in Uitenhage 

 (Holub), Frankfurt Flats, near King, July to November (Tre- 

 velyan) ; upper parts of Natal (Ayres) ; Orange Eiver Colony 

 (Miliais) ; Transvaal High veld (Millais), Potchefstroom, May 

 (Ayres). 



Habits. The Veld Paauw is found singly, in pairs, or even 

 sometimes in small parties of from three to five birds, on the open 

 plains, especially on the hilly uplands which rise out of the flats. 

 In some parts of the country it is migratory, appearing, as a rule, 

 in Natal only in winter, while Trevelyan states that it is found only 

 between July and November on the Frankfurt Flats, near King 

 William's Town. It feeds on insects, and even good-sized snakes 

 and lizards, while it by no means despises berries and fruits, 

 when they are ripe. It is rather a silent bird, but sometimes 

 makes a low melodious humming noise in the morning and 

 evening, while during the breeding season the cock gives vent 

 to a loud, far-resounding boom, something like that of a Bittern ; 

 at this period also they display themselves before the females, 

 expanding their throats enormously and turning their feathers 

 back ; they then strut about and utter their booming noise. 



Ayres found the eggs, generally at the top of a hill, laid in a 

 depression scratched out of the earth and usually bare, though 

 sometimes a wisp of grass may be added ; the eggs are two in 

 number and resemble those of 0. ludwigi ; those in the South 

 African Museum from Upington and Nelspoort are oval and pale 

 brown ; washed, rather than blotched, with a slightly darker shade 

 of the same colour ; they measure 2*90 x 2-10. Layard was told 

 that eggs were hatched near Ceres on April 20. 



The flesh of .this Paauw is particularly well tasting. 



697. Otis melanogaster. Black-bellied Knorhaan. 



Otis melanogaster, Eiippell, Neue Wirbelth. Vogel, p. 16, pi. 7 (1835) ; 

 Kirk, Ibis, .1864, p. 331; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. 8. Afr. pp. 642, 

 854 (1884) ; SeeboJim, Ibis, 1887, p. 351 ; Nicolls & Eglington, Sportsm. 

 S. Afr. p. 115, fig. 39 (1892) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 185 (1896) ; Wood- 

 ward Bros., Ibis, 1898, p. 226 ; Reichenow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 256 (1900). 



Eupodotis melanogaster, Gurney, Ibis, 1862, p. 153 [Natal] ; Layard, 

 B. S. Afr. p. 286 (1867) ; Holub & Pelz. Orn. Sild-Afr. p. 233 (1882) ; 

 Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 362 [Umfuli River] . 



