1868.] Proceedings of the Asiatic Society. 171 



the big antelopes are conspicuous by their absence. Amongst birds, 

 the most interesting I have noticed is Corvultur, the great carrion 

 crow, with a curved sub-vulturine bill, which Jerdon, I think, is quite 

 wrong in tracing to any affinity with the big ground hornbill. The 

 latter, I scarcely think, can be a carrion eater. He is mainly insecti- 

 vorous, and his habits are more those of some of the Ibises, picking 

 over ploughed fields and meadows, or sometimes, like a bustard, 

 hunting in high grass, for locusts, I suspect. They are in pairs and 

 threes, rarely in larger numbers. Lammergeyers are less common 

 here than at Senafe, but still I frequently see them. I think I spoke 

 of the species as occidentalis ; I rather suspect now it is Oypaetus 

 nudipes, as the tarsus is quite bare. This, I believe, is the reverse of 

 what is stated by Bonaparte. One of my interesting specimens is a 

 true Concal (crow pheasant) white below, which Lieutenant St. John 

 gave me. It is especially remarkable for having a long hind claw. 

 Its habits, flight, &c, are exactly those of the Indian species. There 

 are two kingfishers here, a Geryle with the usual pied plumage, and 

 a blue kingfisher. I have only seen the former, and he appears to 

 me different from the common Indian species, but I did not obtain a 

 specimen. I shot a Swift at Senafe very near Cypselus melba, but 

 differing. It may be the same species which has just been described 

 by Tristram as occurring in Southern Africa. I have no more 

 Nectarinice, nor any other tenuirostral birds that I can remember. 

 One small parrot with a short tail occurs in pairs. I have not seen 

 a woodpecker nor a true cuckoo on the tableland. Amongst the 

 Sylvians, the Saxicolince are most conspicuous. I have now several 

 species of true Saxicola, two of Pratincola and two of a genus closely 

 allied to Thamnobia, and I believe I have not collected all I have 

 seen. There is a very beautiful starling with bright iridiscent 

 plumage, which abounds in some places near this. A superb blue 

 Roller very like the Indian form, but with two long central tail 

 feathers, occurs occasionally, but it is rare. I have two very poor 

 specimens but hope to get more. 



The large two-spurred partridge of Senafe has disappeared. It is 

 replaced by a species with red legs and red naked skin round the eyes, 

 said to be two spurred, but the specimens I have seen are either females 

 or young males and spurless. I have a pair of very handsome sandgrouse 



