434 ZOOLOGY. 



the banks of streams in the highlands. It has the usual 

 habits of the genus, being a skulking shy bird, not easy to 

 shoot, from its always hiding in the thickest bush or tuft 

 of grass, and from its unwillingness to take, flight. It 

 has a very loud harsh croaking call, repeated several 

 times in succession. On the borders of Lake Ashangi, 

 in some swamps with rushes about three feet high, there 

 were many of these EaUs. In the day-time they were 

 invisible ; one might walk about the marshes for hours 

 without suspecting their presence ; but about sunset they 

 used to sit on the tops of the rushes and call. At a shot 

 aU vanished amongst the reeds, but they soon reappeared. 

 By noticing this habit I obtained several specimens. 



266. Gallinula chloropus, L. 



Kiipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 479. 

 The common Moor-hen was pretty common around 

 Lake Ashangi, and I occasionally saw it elsewhere. 



267. Fulica cristata, L. 



Iris dull red ; legs olive-grey ; beak and forehead flesh- 

 coloured ; the two fleshy knobs on the occiput dull red, 

 and much larger in the male than in the female. 



The Crested Coot precisely resembles the Common Coot 

 in its habits, and abounds on Lake AshangL 



Family AEDEID^. 



268. Ardea atricoUis, WagL 



Wagl, Syst. Av. Ardea, sp. 4. 



Smith, IlL S. Afr. Zool. Aves, pi. 86.— HeugL Syst. Uebers. 

 No. 599. 



Iris bronze yellow ; upper mandible dusky, lower pale ; 

 legs dusky ; soles of feet yellowish. 



