186 DENIZENS OF THE FOREST 



The little Meyer's Parrot (P. meyeri) in its brown and bias 

 plumage, with a yellow band on the head and a yellow edge 

 to the wing, is a fairly common bird in the Western Transvaal, 

 extending into Bechuanaland and Ehodesia. In the Pretoria 

 Bushveld, it is quite common, and feeds upon fruit, ground 

 nuts and certain seeds. 



The little Eosy-faced Lovebird {Aga'pornis roseicollis) is 

 grass green with the forehead, side of face and throat rose- 

 red, rump regions cobalt blue. It extends from North- 

 western Cape Colony to the Transvaal and Damaraland. 

 Length, about 6 J inches. 



Black-cheeked Lovebird {A. nigrigenis). Li 1903 this 

 Parrakeet was not known to science, when Dr. A. H. B. 

 Kirkman, now of Queenstown, brought a couple of skins 

 down from North-West Ehodesia, and Mr. W. L. Sclater, 

 then Director of the South African Museum, described it. 

 Since then several collections of live examples, numbering 

 thousands, have been brought down and exported oversea. 

 It breeds well in captivity and feeds upon seeds (principally 

 canary and grass) and greens. It is greenish in colour with 

 dark brown cheeks and a patch of orange-pink on the chest. 

 Length, 150 mm. 



DOVES 



The Doves (Order Golumbce) are fairly numerous in South 

 Africa, being represented by two families containing fourteen 

 species in eight genera. 



Doves are characterised by their short legs and peculiar 

 beaks, the basal portion of which is soft and pad-like, form- 

 ing what is called the " cere," the rest of the beak being 

 hard and somewhat swollen towards the tip. 



