300 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



published by Mr. F. H. Guillemard in ' The Field' of November 

 and December, 1880. We did succeed in shooting specimens on 

 the ground, one day, after much patient watching, but they move 

 about like mice when once settled. They are strictly terrestrial 

 in their habits, never settling, as far as our observations go, on 

 anything but the ground. On the wing they are very noisy, the 

 whole flock keeping up an incessant chattering, when flushed, 

 until they again alight. These little birds were always in the 

 most excellent condition, their crops being invariably crammed 

 with small grass-seeds. The sexes do not vary very much, but 

 the male has the under parts of a brighter colour and the throat 

 considerably blacker than the female. Iris, orange ; bill, upper 

 mandible dark red, blackening at the base, lower mandible bright 

 coral-red ; legs and toes, pale brown (R). 



Ortygospiza subflava (Vieil.), Sanguineous Waxbill. — " Lieut. 

 Giffard and I met with a small flock near Newcastle in September, 

 very shy indeed, and obtained several specimens, both male and 

 female. I was somewhat surprised at meeting with a large flock 

 also, frequenting a reed-grown stream at Richmond Road, near 

 Pietermaritzburg, in December. They stuck pertinaciously to 

 the thick covert, perching, however, on the reeds, and not on the 

 ground, like 0. polyzona, and I had to shoot my specimens on 

 the wing. Not met with on any other occasions. The note is 

 not unlike that of 0. polyzona, but rather less harsh and grating. 

 In flight the crimson rump is very conspicuous, and serves to 

 distinguish the species from the last-named" (R). 



Ortygospiza Dufresnii (Vieil.), Dufresne's Waxbill. — Butler saw 

 several of these birds in a cage belonging to a lady he met on 

 board ship returning home, and she told him that they were 

 caught near Pietermaritzburg, and that they were not uncommon 

 in that locality. He obtained one of these birds, which died of 

 cold shortly after reaching England. 



Ureginthus phcenicotis (Swains.), Blue-breasted Waxbill. — 

 Found in considerable numbers by Reid in the bush near Lady- 

 smith in August, and at Colenso and Blaauw Krantz in November, 

 in "which latter locality Butler noticed it. Not observed in the 

 Newcastle district. 



Passer diffusus, Smith, Southern Grey-headed Sparrow. — A 

 small flock frequented some large Syringa trees near the Ingagane 

 Drift in the winter, and specimens were obtained there in July by 



