by Mr. C/atidc Grant in South Africa. 23 



portion of the year^, especially the rainy season^ it is found in 

 the interior, but during the drier months keeps more or less 

 in the coast country. It is usually seen accompanying herds 

 of cattle or big game, either picking up ticks and insects on 

 the ground or perched on the animals' backs. In flight the 

 flocks keep no regular formation and they often travel long 

 distances to roost. In Beira Harbour they regularly left 

 the Beira side at sundown, and went away to the mouth of 

 the Busi River. 



The soft parts are : — Irides yellow; space round eye, lores, 

 and bill yellow-chrome ; legs and toes pale yellow. In 

 younger specimens the legs and toes are dusky, pale yellow 

 on the tibia and the tibio-tarsal joints.] 



597. BUTORIDES ATRICAPILLA. 



Z. Ngoye Hills, Oct. (1) ; Tv. Klein Letaba, Aug. (1) ; 

 P. Masambeti, Nov. (1). 



[" Nyekauruk " of the Ntebis. 



This River-Heron is by no means uncommon on most of 

 the rivers and streams, and I have also seen it in the man- 

 grove-swamps in Beira Harbour. It is most generally met 

 with in the small streams thickly bushed or those that run 

 through forest. When disturbed it seldom flies far, often 

 disappearing into long grass and reeds or sometimes sitting 

 upon the limbs of the forest trees. A quick pronunciation 

 of the Ntebi name gives an excellent idea of the cry. 



The soft parts of an adult are: — Irides yellow ; round eye;?, 

 lores, and lower part of lower mandible greenish yellow, rest 

 of bill black ; legs and toes lemon-yellow ; front of tarsi and 

 toes slightly brownish. In the immature bird the brownish 

 part of the tarsi and the toes is much more pronounced and 

 the lores are dusky.] 



598. Nycticorax griseus. 

 P. Beira, Jan. (1 ? juv.). 



[I do not recollect having seen the Night-Heron any- 

 where except in the Beira and Tete districts. It Avas very 

 common in the mangrove-swamps in Beira Harbour, and 

 dozens could be seen leaving the shelter of the bushes for 



