IBIDID^ QERONTICUS 99 



Distribution. — The Bald Ibis is a somewhat rare bird, chiefly 

 confined to the mountainous districts of South Africa ; it is found 

 throughout Cape Colony, Natal, and perhaps the Orange Eiver 

 Colony, but I am not aware of its having been noticed north of the 

 Vaal River. 



The following are recorded localities : Cape Colony — Tygerhoek 

 in Caledon (Layard), Witzenberg in Ceres (S. A. Mus.), Tafelberg 

 in Middelburg division (S. A. Mus.), Orange River (Andersson 

 and S. A. Mus.), Cradock division (Steedman), Port Elizabeth 

 district, rare (J. G. Brown) ; Natal— Newcastle district (Reid and 

 Sparrow), Eorke's Drift (Reed), Zululand (Bt. Mus.) ; Orange Eiver 

 Colony — Frankfort (B. Hamilton). 



Habits. — The Bald Ibis is a very wild and shy bird, generally 

 seen in small parties, and difficult to approach ; it is chiefly to 

 be found among the mountains, and has a partiality for burnt 

 land, where no doubt it finds plenty of food. It walks very fast, 

 and is on the move most of the day, appearing to be always 

 in search of food ; this consists chiefly of earth-worms, for which 

 it probes with its long beak, grasshoppers, caterpillars and other 

 insects, while some observers have stated that it by no means 

 disdains carrion, and acts as an efficient scavenger. Notwith- 

 standing this, it is said to be excellent eating. 



Although Steedman, in the early part of the last century, stated 

 that this bird nested in companies in the ledges of rocky krantzes, 

 no one, until quite recently, seems to have actually taken the eggs. 

 Major Sparrow, of the 7th Dragoon Guards, tells me that he met with 

 this bird breeding on the spurs of the Drakensberg, near Newcastle, 

 in Natal in 1902; on September 18th he found a nest with two young 

 ones about ten days old, while on November 9th he found two more 

 nests, one containing fresh, the other slightly incubated eggs. The 

 nests were all placed on ledges or in slight holes on the face of 

 a steep, rocky krantz ; they were made up of sticks lined with a little 

 grass, and were exceedingly dirty. The eggs, which were two in 

 number in each case, are elongate in shape and very pale blue in 

 colour, faintly spotted with a few reddish brown or purplish spots ; 

 they measure 2-70 x 1-75. 



