NOTES FEOM NATAL. 167 



occasionally, and the young birds have to sit round till their 

 parents and ancestors are full. We observed a hungry, but patient 

 circle of dark immature birds waiting their turn at a dead ox on 

 the Ingagane River. On one occasion at Newcastle, at a time, 

 too, when telegraphic communication was a matter of life and 

 death, a large gathering of "Aas-vogels" frightened suddenly 

 from a carcase directly underneath the telegraphic wires, got 

 "mixed up" in their confusion, and caused the wires to become 

 seriously entangled. This stopped the transmission of messages 

 completely, but fortunately the mishap occurred close to head- 

 quarters, and things were quickly righted. From some unknown 

 cause, very few of these birds were seen round Newcastle in 

 September, 1881. From the 1st to the 2(3th of that month 

 they were almost entirely absent. Could thej' have been driven 

 away by the severe snow-storm and cold weather at the end of 

 August ? 



Otogyps auricularis (Daud.), Eared Vulture. — Occasionally 

 seen in the north-west portion of Natal ; shy and retiring. 



Lophogyps occipitalis (Burch.), White-headed Vulture. — A pair 

 seen at the Ingagane River, July 23rd, 1881 (R). 



Neophron percnopterus (Linn.), Egyptian Vulture. — A pair of 

 adult birds seen in April on a rocky bank of the Buffalo River, 

 about four miles east of Newcastle (B). An adult bird seen at 

 Colenso on the 20th November (R). 



Serpentarius secretarkcs (Miller), Secretary Bird. — Common in 

 the Newcastle district, becoming scarcer down country. There is 

 a penalty of ,£10 for killing one of these extraordinary birds, on 

 account of the good service they render in destroying snakes. 

 Several pairs are always to be met with in the course of a ride 

 over the "veldt" between Newcastle and Ladysmith. Near the 

 latter place it breeds undoubtedly, and most probably does so 

 wherever there are suitable trees throughout the district. In a 

 nest taken at Ladysmith by an officer of " The Welsh" Regiment, 

 one egg was white, the other distinctly btotched and coloured 

 with red. Length of an adult specimen, shot (in ignorance of the 

 penalty) at the Ingagane in June, 3 ft. 4 in., without the two long 

 central tail-feathers, 4 ft. 3 in. with these ; wing, 2 ft. 2j in. ; 

 tail, 2 ft. 2 in. ; tarsus, 1 ft. ; expansion of wings, 6 ft. 9 in. 

 The soft parts of this specimen were as follows : — Iris hazel ; 

 bill pale bluish grey, base of the lower mandible gradually 



