SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
211 
mg the bushes, a numerous flock of birds, about the size of 
the common sky-lark, issued from them. Our boors, though 
unacquainted with the nests, immediately recognised the bird 
to be the locust-eater, and rejoiced not a little at its appear- 
ance so near the colony. This species of thrush, it seems, is 
a migrating bird, and is only met with in places where the 
migrating locust frequents. It had not been seen in the co- 
lony for the space of thirteen years : that is to say, since the 
last time that the locusts infested the Sneuwberg. The head, 
breast, and back, are of a pale cinereous color ; the abdomen 
and rump white ; wings and tail black, the latter short and a 
little forked ; from the angle of the mouth a naked area of 
sulphureous yellow extends under the eye and a little bej^ond 
it ; and two naked black strine under the throat. The specific 
name of gryllkorus may with propriety be given to it, as its 
whole food seems to consist of the larvae of this insect, at least 
when they are to be obtained. Nature has seldom inflicted a 
bane but she has accompanied it with an antidote ; or, in 
other words, she has ordained that one half of the creation 
should destroy and devour the other, no doubt for wise and 
good purposes, though the limited faculties of man may not 
be able to discover, in many instances, the benevolence of the 
design. The numbers of the gn/l//vori are riot less astonish- 
ing than those of the locusts. Their nests, which at a dis- 
tance appeared to be of such great magnitude, were found 
on examination to consist of a number of cells, each of which 
was a separate nest with a tube that led into it through the 
side. Of such cells each clump contained from six to twenty; 
and one general roof of interwoven twigs covered the whole 
like that made by the magpie. Most of them had young 
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