I'idd Notes from Mashonaland. 
39 
slimmer. Often one finds them miles from a spruit on the 
Kaffir rnealie lands, and, strange to say, they seem to take toll 
of these, and also of a peculiar fat locust found on the mealies 
when they are ripe. 
The Bittern is rather like the Heron jtist described: one 
got up right under iny feet one day and for a moment I had a 
good view of it. The general body colouring was brownish- 
purple; breast white and grey; legs and feet horn-colour; bill 
and bare patch round eye (the latter large and proniinentj dark 
brown. 
There are plenty of Divers, large birds coloured rather 
like a cormorant's back, but with buffish breasts; head and neck 
reminded one of a snake. They were usually sitting on a stone 
right out in the middle of a spruit or river. 
Sometimes one comes across a brood of baby Muscovy 
Ducks scuttling about the spruits after flies — dear little balls of 
black and yellow Huff with beady eyes and horn-coloured bills 
and legs — funnily enough the tame Muscovys never seem to 
interbreed with the wild birds, though' one often sees them 
feeding on the mealie lands together, and rarely, very rarely, 
they may be found down at a spruit feeding with the domestic 
birds. 
Of Pheasants one is sure to see plenty, and tw^o species 
of Partridge, Snipe, Ring Dove (Wild Barbary), Palm, and 
Masked Doves, Fruit Pigeons, Jack-hangers — a species of 
shrike, black and white, and with their long waving black tails 
are very like a magpie. These birds become tame quickly in 
captivity, and they make good pets, as they have very interesting 
habits, but are awful shriekers. 
Little St. Helena Waxbills (Estnlda astrilda] one sees 
diligently searching the reed-beds of the spruits from top to 
bottom. This species makes rather a peculiar nest, like that 
of a miniature meadow pipit, and fills it with six to eight little 
round white ei^gs ; they are very active little mites and are very 
tit-hke in their habits, but I have never seen one han.i^ing head 
dowanvards from the reeds, which they continually search for 
minute insects. 
A Dinker slinking away in the thorn bushes one is sure to 
see. and once a dinker doe came within five or six feet of me, 
with one foot up and her little black nose quivering trying to 
