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Geoffery H. Clark—Some Birds of the Veld



call tlie Sprew (Spreo ?). It was all black except just under the tail

where it had a large white patch. They used to go about in hundreds

and do much damage to fruit trees, always, with true avian cussedness

picking the best, taking one bite and moving on. Related to this, if

local nomenclature can be trusted, was the Green Sprew. This was

truly a beautiful bird, far less common than the other. It was about

the size of a Blackbird and in colour a wonderful peacock green which

in some lights looked almost electric blue. Round the throat and

neck (as far as memory serves) there were feathers which would look

a rich purple if turned in certain ways. A much prized bird from a

feminine point of view, but difficult to secure, and from a masculine

point of view not worth the securing.


There is a bird out there called the Cuckoo, but I have never been

able to find whether it is the one that comes here. I did not see one,

but frequently heard them, and their note is merely a “ Cuck ”, the

“ oo ” being omitted. Whether our bird alters its note when it migrates

south or not I could not say. I expect the name is wrong.


Certainly the bird we called the Skylark is not the bird which

made Shelley earn the well merited curses of many generations of

schoolboys. It seems to lead a very aimless existence. It climbs

aloft to an incredible height in dead silence, and then having choked

back the last “ Excelsior ” emits a loud “ Cheeeeeee ”, and on this

note it descends to earth again. The lower it gets the lower the note

gets, so that it sounds rather like a dying pig. It then rests a moment

or two and starts afresh.


Among birds known in England are the Hoopoe, very common

indeed, the Crow, fairly common (but no Rooks, thank goodness),

and, of course, many Swallows and Swifts during the time when they

have migrated from England.


It is true that South African birds have practically no song, but

they are all capable of a bewildering variety of loud noises. They

usually emit these either on the wing or from under cover. They do

not for the most part sit on the highest point of a tree and pour out

a melody as do our birds at home, for the very excellent reason that

long before they had reached the first repeat bar the air would be

black with raptores, attracted by the noise and the accessibility of

the singer.



