from South Africa. 357 



home at the Intermediate Pumping Station, some six 

 miles from the town, where I found eggs of Cussijpha caffra 

 and Serinus flaviventris. The lC Robin" had its nest in an 

 outhouse, the Canary in a low evergreen hedge, while 

 Swallows (Hirundo cucullata) had just returned from their 

 northern winter-quarters, and were flocking in immense 

 numbers round the eaves of an outbuilding, on whieh 

 were already to be seen the foundations of dozens of nests 

 made of red clay. Here we felt once more the disadvantage 

 of a hurried journey, for no situation could have been more 

 suitable for observing the bird -life of the district, and it 

 was evident from a small collection of skins which had 

 been made on the spot that, besides the breeding species, 

 many others visit this oasis during their migration. 



The journey through Bechuanaland and the Kalahari Desert 

 to the Victoria Falls introduced us to a complete change of 

 scenery and avifauna. The soil was dry and sandy as else- 

 where, but its whole suiface was usually covered with mimosa- 

 scrub, in which small trees stood up at intervals. The rivers 

 were few and far between. (Ena capensis was still seen 

 flying low in the air along the railway, and Weaver-birds' 

 nests were scattered, as usual, over many a thorn-bush, but 

 the latter in many cases belonged to forms which we had not 

 hitherto met with, and in that of Textor niycr were com- 

 bined into one massive structure. The fine black-and-white 

 Shrike (Urolestes melanoleucus) continually flitted from tree 

 to tree or bush to bush looking exactly like a small Magpie, 

 the European Bee- eater (Merops apiaster) with its varied 

 colouring and the still brighter M. nubicuides with its carmine 

 throat not only frequented the scrub of the sandy desert, but 

 perched fearlessly on the telegraph-wires while the trains 

 were passing ; two species of Holler (Coracias caudatus and 

 C. mosambicus) were still more accommodating and seldom 

 moved from their posts on the same wires, and along with 

 them were two kinds of Horubill (Lophoceros leucomelas 

 and L. erythrorhy nchus) , which often seemed too lazy to do 

 more than turn their heads over their backs to examine the 

 line of carriages. Vultures and Eagles — Gypaetus ossifragus 



