424 Lieut. C. G. Fiuch-Davies on [Ibis, 



I was unable to reach it. The nest appeared to Ije a compara- 

 tively small structure ot' sticks^ and judging by the behaviour 

 of the parent birds, which Avere very fearless, probably 

 contained eggs or young. The fliglit is rather slow and 

 " floppy/^ though I have seen them soaring, but not as a rule 

 at any great height. 



In juvenile jjlumage this species seems to be very variable, 

 and there appear to be two extreme forms of colouring in 

 that plumage. In one the colouring is very dark both above 

 and below ; the sides of face, ear-coverts, and throat very 

 dark brown, almost black. The other is a very pale form 

 on a typical specimen of which in the Transvaal Museum 

 collection I have made the following notes: — "A juvenile 

 specimen from Knysna ; very pale above_, the huffish tips 

 to the leathers predominating over the dark brown basal 

 portions. On the head and neck the feathers are tawny 

 rufous with dark brown centres ; the throat and breast 

 tawny white with narrow dark brown streaks, the flanks, 

 abdomen, and thighs tawny buff, mottled with tawny 

 brown." 



Among the adults I have examined I have noticed that 

 some have almost lost the black spots from the scapulars 

 and wing-coverts ; perhaps these are very old birds. There 

 is a rather curious specimen in the Transvaal Museum from 

 Klein Letaba in which the ivliule plumage of the upper parts 

 is very finely vermiculated with a paler shade of grey. The 

 white tail-bars are also mucii more finely vermiculated than 

 usual, and the whole of the plumage of the under parts is 

 so much suffused with grey that they might be described 

 as being grey, here and there slightly barred with white and 

 a darker shade of grey. There is another specimen in the 

 same collection from Swaziland which is similar, but the 

 grey shade is not quite so pronounced. 



16. Circus macrurus (Gmel.). Pale Harrier. 

 I have found this Harrier fairly numerous during the 

 summer months throughout the open country in the eastern 



