Vol. X.] XXX 



" In the suburbs of Capetown and in the immediate vicinity 

 of that city, where I spent the greater part of my short stay 

 in South Africa, birds, it must be confessed, are by no means 

 abundant, either in species or in individuals. Although I 

 "was always on the look out for them and made short excur- 

 sions into the surrounding country nearly every day, mainly 

 for the purpose of observing them, I did not succeed in 

 recognizing positively more than from 20 to 25 species, and 

 of some of these I saw but very few examples. 



"The commonest and most all-pervading bird in Capetown 

 and its vicinity at the time of year when I was there 

 (September and October, answering to our March and April) 

 was certainly the Cape Dove (Turtur capicola). The some- 

 what harsh and grating love-call of this species could be 

 heard at all times of the day, both in the city and suburbs, 

 although it was not always easy to discover the exact position 

 of the utterer. The call is something like the three syllables 

 ' kah-kay-ivhoo,' with the last note much prolonged. The 

 bird was evidently intending to breed everywhere, like our 

 Wood-Pigeon in the parks of London and Paris. I also 

 occasionally saw and heard a rather smaller Dove with a 

 much softer and quite different call, which I take to have 

 been Turtur senegalensis. 



" The other birds that I most frequently noticed in the 

 gardens at Capetown were the Cape Sparrow (Passer 

 arcuatus), the Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis), and the 

 Collared Shrike (Lanius collaris). 



"The Cape Sparrow is certainly not nearly so abundant as 

 its British representative in London, but seems to have 

 nearly similar habits. It was commencing to breed in the 

 gardens, and builds nests similar to those of its European 

 ally. The Cape Wagtail may be seen pursuing insects on 

 the well-kept grass-plots surrounding the Parliament House, 

 and is quite tame and familiar. 



" The Collared Shrike, which I saw every day on passing 

 through the Municipal Gardens up to the Museum, shows 

 its pied plumage well amongst the green foliage of the trees. 

 It is a most ferocious little villain, and if care is not taken 



