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Capt. Boyd R. Horsbrugh,



are more or less protected, and are well-known to the regiment

stationed on Naval Hill. At early dawn this mornng I was

awakened by the clear, ringing ‘ killy-keelie,’ ‘ killy-keelie ’ of

one bird sitting almost on my doorstep, and the loud notes

recalled very vividly the many sunrises I have seen in the

Western Transvaal when on trek.


February 7th. Large flocks of Knots are now here on

their winter migration. I shot some once in the Western

Transvaal during the war and found their crops full of wheat.


The English Swallow ( Hirundo rustica ) and the Spotted

Flycatcher are both common here at present.


A pair of the Familiar Chat ( Saxicola jami liar is) haunt

the bungalow and roost in the interstices beneath the corrugated

iron roofing. This little bird reminds me very much of a young

Redstart in colouring only, it is of a dull brownisli-grey and it

has a reddish tail. It is very tame and friendly and has the

usual Chat-like habit of opening and shutting its wings several

times every few moments as if they didn’t fit quite properly.


A few days ago I went to see a man, living in the town of

Bloemfontein, who had some birds in cages, and found he had

among others some Black-fronted Bulbuls ( Pycnonottts nigricans').

This is a little bird with a note like the Red-vented {P.

hcemorrhous) of India; its colouring is blackish, with yellow

under tail-coverts and a curious fleshy eye-cere of a brilliant red.

Their owner fed them on seed only and seemed quite surprised

that they died so soon ; however, some grapes and an over-ripe

plum showed him very quickly what they really wanted and I

hope they will now do well. He gave me a pair which are doing

well in my aviary. They feed chiefly on grapes and insects

supplied from the garden, such as various beetle-larvae, etc., as

well as the house-flies they catch for themselves ; and excellent

flycatchers they are, too.


The owner of the aviary also had several examples of the

Red-lieaded Finch ( Amadina erythrocephala). This is a common

bird here ; several small parties of them visit their brethren in my

aviary frequently, and I trapped a fine pair in an ordinary trap

cage a little time ago. I11 its habits, song, and general



