44. Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton on the 
rest of the time hopping about somewhat excitedly and 
crying “cip! cip! cip!” (the Zulu c; there is no English 
letter to express the sound). When hunting for food in 
the undergrowth their mutual call is frequently a harsh 
little “ hoho-hwey ! hoho-hwey/” At the end of February 
they may be seen going about in family-parties, and it is 
then that they are most tuneful; in the winter they become 
comparatively silent, retaining only the Sun-bird’s harsher 
“chirrrr,’ in the use of which they are adepts. They breed 
from October to January, being apparently double-brooded ; 
and the nest, a designedly loose and untidy structure of 
moss and leaves, is usually siung from the end of a twig from 
three to six feet above the ground. Seen froma short distance 
it resembles a loose piece of moss, such as is frequently seen 
hanging from the branches of trees or shrubs after having 
falien from the trunks above. In a typical nest now before 
me, 9 inches in length exclusive of streamers, the opening is 
2°5 inches deep and 1°75 wide, and is situated rather high in 
the side ; externally the material is chiefly moss with a few 
small twigs and grasses worked in, the cup itself, which has 
a diameter of 2 inches from front to back, being compact, 
well strengthened externally with dry leaves bound on with 
cobwebs, and lined inside with fine stems and the downy 
pappi of a common rubber-yielding vine. On two or three 
oceasions I have found a few Owl’s feathers wrought into the 
general structure, though never as actual lining. There 
are usually a few streamers of moss, roots, or other materials 
hanging from below the opening. The eggs, invariably 
two in number, are bluish white, marked, chiefly about 
the larger end and sometimes in the form of a zone, with 
small spots and streaks of deep sepia and underlying grey ; 
afew of the markings are slightly suffused. I have noted 
little or no variation from this type. They measure from 
17 to 19 mm. in length by 13 in breadth. The behaviour of 
the sitting birds I have found to vary irrespective of the state 
of incubation of the eggs, some leaving at the first alarm, 
while others have allowed me to inspect them at arm’s 
length. They usually return quickly when flushed from the 
