318 CEDICNEMID^ (EDICNEMUS 



that it is always shot by sportsmen when met with, and generally 

 considered as a game bird. The eggs, two in number, are laid on 

 the bare ground in a slight excavation, and the young birds run 

 as soon as hatched, and are of an ashy-grey colour. 



Dr. Sbark found the eggs of this bird at Hondeklip Bay on the 

 shores of Namaqualand on September 16th, and at Hoetjes Bay 

 in Saldanha Bay on September 26th. In both cases the eggs were 

 laid in a slight hollow in the sand near the sea, sheltered by tufts 

 of grass ; the two eggs were about half an inch apart from one 

 another and lay parallel with one another, the small ends pointing 

 in opposite directions. These eggs are now in the South African 

 Museum ; they are pale stony-grey, varyingly blotched with patches 

 and smaller irregular spots of rich deep brown ; they average 

 2-2 x 1-6. 



703. (Edicnemus vermiculatus. Water D'Mop. 



(Edicnemus natalensis, Gray, List Grallce B. M. p. 59 (1844) ; [norri. 

 mid.] 



(Edicnemus senegalensis (nee Swains.) Grill, K. Vet. AJcad. Handl. 

 Stockholm, ii. no. 10, p. 53 (1858) [Knysna] ; Kirk, Ibis, 1864, p. 331 ; 

 Gurney, Ibis, 1865, p. 270 [Durban], 1868, p. 254 ; Layard, Ibis, 1869, 

 p. 76 ; Slia.rpe, cd. Layard's B. S. Afr. p.' 646 (1884). 



(Edicnemus vermiculatus, Cabanis, Journ. Ornith. 1868, p. 413 ; id. 

 Von der Decheris Ecise, iii, p. 46, pi. 16 (1870) ; Finsch <& Harll. 

 Vog. Ost-AfriJtas, p. 622 (1870) ; Shelley, Ibis, 1882, p. 362 [Mashona- 

 land] ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. p. 647 (1884); Seebohm, Ibis, 

 1881, p. 338 ; id. Geogr. Distr. Charadr. p. 80 (1888) ; Fleck, Journ. 

 Ornith. 1894, p. 382; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xxiv, p. 11 (1896) ; Shelley, 

 B. Afr. i. p. 194 (1896) ; Sharpe, Ibis, 1897, p. 516 [Ivuna Biver] ; 

 Woodward Bros. Natal B. p. 179 (1899) ; Reiclienow, Vog. Afr. i, p. 

 200 (1900) ; Short-ridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 202. 



Description. Adult Male. General colour above sandy-brown, 

 vermiculated with dusky and with conspicuous black shaft-marks to 

 all the feathers ; wing-coverts slaty grey, also with black shaft- 

 marks, and tipped with black ; wing-quills and greater coverts 

 black, the first three quills with a broad transverse band of white ; 

 central tail-feathers like the back, the outer ones tipped with black 

 and with a subterminal dash of white ; eyebrow and band below the 

 eye, chin, throat and abdomen white, the breast and under tail- 

 coverts pale sandy, the former with strong dusky shaft-marks ; 

 axillaries, edge of the wing and under wing-coverts white, a few of 

 the latter tipped with dusky. 



