OEDICNEMUS VERMIOULATUS. 



WATEE DIKKOP. 



(Plate 12.) 



Oedicnemus vermiculatus, Cabanis, Journ. fiir Ornithol., 1868, p. 413 ; 

 Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus., xxiv, p. 11 (1896) ; Woodward, 

 Natal Birds, p. 179 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vogel Afrikas, i, 

 p. 200 (1900-01) ; Sclater, Ann. S. Afr. Mus., m, p. 358 (1905) ; 

 Sclater & Stark, Birds of S. Afr., iv, p. 318 (1906). 



Oedicnemus senegalensis, Sharpe's ed. Layard Birds of S. Afr., p. 646 

 (1875-84). 



Description. The bird figured is a male. The female is somewhat 

 duUer in plumage, but otherwise resembles the male. Length 15 in. 



Distribution. This bird is found all over South and East Africa, 

 as far north as Loango on the west, Victoria Nyanza in the centre 

 and Mombasa on the east. Though widely distributed in South 

 Africa, it appears to be always a rare bird, and is not found on the 

 high veldt, or far away from large rivers or the sea. 



I HAVE not met with this bird, and it is said by Sclater 



to be nowhere very common and is nearly always found 



in pairs or in smaU parties about the mouths or along the 



banks of rivers, where it finds its food, which consists of 



smaU insects and Crustacea. Ayres noticed that it was only 



found about Durban Harbour in winter (June and July), 



and Mr. Shortridge states that he has only seen it on the 



St. Johns River, some distance from the mouth, in April, 



and that it is probably partially migratory. Like the Cape 



Thicknee, it is thoroughly nocturnal, but it can and does see 



perfectly well at any time of the day and in the brightest 



sunlight. 



An interesting account of the nest of this bird is 



29 



