hij Mr. Claude (Jruitt in l^untJi Africa. lO'J 



passing insect ; it also feeds large]}' upon ants. The call is 

 somewhat Chat-like^ and the flight is low and laboured, witli 

 rapid beats of the wings. 



The soft parts are : — Irides dark brown ; bill, legs and 

 toes l)lack-brown.] 



305. Myrmecocichla bifasciata. 

 Tv. Zuurbron, A pi., ]\Iay (6). 



[This striking Chat Avas onh^ observed at Zuurbron, in 

 the Soutli-Eastern Transvaal, between the middle of April 

 and the first week of INIay. It frequented the larger 

 boulders at the bases of the ko])jes and hills, and in actions 

 and habits resembled the true Wheatears. 



The soft parts are :— Irides dark brown ; bill, legs and 

 toes black.] 



306. Pkatincola torquata. 



1. Western typical race (P. torquata tyjiica) : — 



CC. Port T^olloth, July, Aug. (10) ; Durban Kd., Mch., 

 Sept. (4) . 



2. Eastern race (P. tor<jauta orlentalls, snbsp. n.) : — 

 CC. Plettenberg Bay, Feb. (2) ; Z. Sibudeni, Oct., 



Nov. (7) ; Umfolosi Station, June, July, Aug. (15) ; 

 Tv. Zuurbron, Apl., May (5) ; AVakkerstroom, Mch. (1) ; 

 Woodbush, June, Nov. (5); Klein Letaba, Aug. (1). 



The fine series of this Stonechat collected by Grant 

 enables me to distinguish two quite separable subspecies 

 in South Africa. 



A Western race, from Namaqualand and the Cape Town 

 neighbourhood, is distinguishable in the male by the re- 

 striction of the rufous patch on the breast, which does not 

 extend to the flanks or more than about half the length 

 of the under parts. The female is even more distinct : it 

 has a Avhite patch on the abdomen distinctly marked out 

 from the surrounding pale fulvous, and the under tail- 

 coverts are pure white ; the chin and throat, too, are white 

 with black bases to the feathers, and form a marked contrast 

 to the rufous breast. 



In the Eastern race the rufous of the breast in the male 



