146 DENIZENS OP THE FOREST 



the genial and sporting magistrate of Grahamstown, Mr. 

 Francis Graham. 



The Large Yellow Seedeater {Serinus sulphuratus), the 

 Geel-seisje of the Boers, and " Bully " of the Colonial boys, 

 and its smaller congeners, the Kleine Seisjes {S. flaviventris 

 and S. marshalU), make handsome cage-birds in their greenish- 

 yellow and bright golden colours. The Northern form {S. 

 marshalU) is extremely common around Bloemfontein and 

 Brandfort in the Orange Free State, and it is a pretty 

 sight to see a small flock of these birds consisting of some 

 half-dozen males with a like number of their sombre-coloured 

 spouses flitting about amongst the mimosas at sunset. 

 Although not such a renowned songster as the Cape Canary, 

 it has a lively though simple song, and in its richly tinted 

 garb makes truly a charming cage-bird. 



Another pretty little species is the Icterine Seedeater 

 {S. icterus), which is the common form in the Central Trans- 

 vaal, being fairly plentiful from the Modderfontein Dynamite 

 Factory through Irene and Pretoria to the " Bushveld." It 

 is lively, tame and of confiding habits, and has a charming 

 melodious song with full flute-like notes, hence it is often 

 caught and even exported over-sea as a cage-bird. 



It is prettily marked in yellow, green and black. Its 

 conspicuous yellow eyebrow and yellow band on the forehead 

 is sufficient to distinguish it from the other species of the 

 genus. Hence the name by which it is commonly known in 

 the Pretoria District (viz. " Yellow-eye "). Length, 4 J iaches. 



A vasbly different bird is the sombre-plumaged White- 

 throated Seedeater (S. alhigularis) called " Dik-bek Seisje " 

 or " Berg-seisje " by the Boers. It is of an ashy-brown 

 colour streaked on the back with darker brown. Fore cheeks, 



