308 ON SAFARI 



mention it here as it was the first bird I shot in South 

 Africa, and an examination of its extraordinary "nonde- 

 script " build went far to discourage any further study of 

 Ethiopian ornithology — were all African forms one-tenth 

 so "aberrant," the attempt seemed well-nigh hopeless! 

 This Imfoot was swimming among heavy reed-beds in a 

 marsh near Nel's Spruit, Transvaal, and the following is 

 the note I then made : "Like a Muscovy-Duck so far as 

 it resembles anything I ever saw : but with the beak of a 

 Grebe, thouoh orano-e in colour ; the stiff tail of a 

 Cormorant; the lobed feet of a Coot, but orange-yellow 

 like a Mallard's. Weight about 8 lbs." 



Grebes 



Great Crested Grebe — Podici'pes. crisiatus. 

 South African Dabchick — P. capensis. 



Both these abound on Elmenteita, Naivasha, Xakuru 

 and other lakes. 



Wadees 



Curlew — Numenms arqiiatus. Common on coast, winter. 



Whimbrel — N. plixopns. Common on coast, winter. No God- 

 wits have occurred within our knowledge. 



Redshank — Totanus calidris. Mombasa, January — heard once 

 at niirht. 



Greenshank — T. canescens. On inland lakes ; always solitary. 



Green Sandpiper — T. ochropus. On inland lakes; always 

 solitary. 



Wood-Sandpiper — T. glareola. One, Karriendoos, February 13. 



Terek Sandpiper — Terehia cinerea. With upturned yellow bill 

 like a Godwit's — two shot on coast (Archer). 



Curlew-Sandpiper — Tringa subarquata, — Common on coast. 



Common Sandpiper — T. hyp)oUuca. Common in winter through- 

 out Africa, on river, lake and marsh. 



Ruff — Machetes p)ngnax. Precisely the same remark applies ; 



ubiquitous in winter in East Africa. 



Turnstone — Strcpsilas interpres.'] ^^ l • ^ 



c, T ^- ^< 1- 1 . ■ - Common on coast, wmter. 



banderling — Calidris arenaria. J 



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