A CAPE CART JOURNEY. 15 



is a bold bird, and will on occasion attack and kill 

 snakes. The hawk, sweeping about the cliffs with 

 graceful flight, was soon far out of view. Next to 

 appear were some of the curious black and white 

 crows, the commonest in the Colony. This bird 

 {Corvus albicollis), the ringhals kraai (ring-necked 

 crow) of the Dutch, Le corbivau of old Le Vaillant, 

 is principally of a black or bronze-black colour ; the 

 back of his neck is white, and some white feathers 

 divide the breast and abdomen. The bill is white 

 tipped. He is a fine big fellow and a bold high 

 flyer, and he is by no means particular as to what he 

 eats, even finishing off weakly lambs and goats and 

 other unprotected prey. A near relation of this bird, 

 the bonte kraai (pied crow) of the Dutch {Corvus 

 scapulatus), is also pretty often seen, especially 

 about the high roads, where it is perpetually hunting 

 for garbage and offal. This bird, in addition to 

 a white patch upon the middle of the back, has a white 

 chest and stomach. Presently we saw and shot the 

 red fink, sometimes called the red grenadier grosbeak 

 (Ploceus oryx). These birds were just entering upon 

 their breeding plumage, which was sufficiently striking. 

 The male specimen shot was of a magnificent scarlet 

 upon the upper parts, as well as upon the throat and 

 under the tail. The rest of the body was of a rich 

 glossy black, patches of which appeared also upon 

 the forehead and cheeks. The wings and tail were 

 brown. These birds were evidently .flying towards 

 the Sunday River, which ran not far away, for they 

 are fond of damp situations. 



After an hour's travelling through the mountains, 

 which presented to our view pictures of wild and 

 subhme magnificence, tempered, I am bound to say, 



