8 Dr. R. B. Sharpe on Birds 



[This little Dove was common and occurred all the year 

 round. It was very tame, going about in pairs, or in small 

 parties of four to six individuals, which roosted at night in 

 the orchard -trees, but during the daytime were always on 

 the ground. The nest was placed on the rocky side of a 

 sluit, and as a rule in a hole ; it consisted of a few sticks 

 only. This species did not do well in captivity and became 

 very bare of feathers.] 



8. FULICA CRISTATA. 



Fulica cristata Gm. ; Sharpe, ed. Layard, p. 621 : id. 

 Cat. B. xxiii. p. 215 (1894) ; id. Hand-1. B. i. p. 110; 

 Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 296 (1900). 



a. S imm. Deelfontein, Feb. 19, 1902. 



b. ? ad. „ April 17, 1902. 



c. S ad. „ Nov. 23, 1902. 



[This Coot is found on the majority of the large dams, 

 especially those in which the sides are protected by bushes. 

 The farmers like to see Coots on their dams, and they 

 are consequently very tame, only flying from one side 

 to the other when disturbed. We did not find a nest, but 

 the bird breeds in the district, as we saw some young at 

 Blauw Bank, about four miles south of Deelfontein.] 



9. PODICIPES CAPENSIS. 



Podicipes capensis Licht. ; Grant, Cat. B. xxvi. p. 513, 

 pis. vii. & viii. (1898); Sharpe, Hand-1. B. i. p. 113 

 (1899). 



Podiceps minor Sharpe, ed. Layard (nee Gm.), p. 787 



(1884). 



Colymbus capensis Reichen. Vog. Afrikas, i. p. 15 (1900). 



a. ? imm. Deelfontein, Nov. 22, 1902. 



This example appears to be in full moult from the brown 

 winter dress to the black of the breeding-season. 



[By no means common, for we did not see more than 

 four specimens in the fourteen months we were out. Three 

 were noticed in November, and another was seen at Elands 

 Kuileun, about sixteen miles east of Deelfontein.] 



