712 Mr. W. L. Sclater on Birds collected 
and Nov. lltli, 1906. The nesting-holes were situated, in the 
cut-away bank of the railway and ran in about two or three 
feet with a slight upward tendency, the eggs being deposited 
in a cavity at the end on the bare earth without any lining 
or debris. 
The soft parts of an adult are :—Irides dark brown ; bill, 
legs and toes pale tomato-red.] 
417. Halcyon swainsoni. 
P. Masambeti, Oct. (1). 
Four eggs taken at Masambeti, on Oct. 25th, closely 
resemble those of other species of the genus, being white 
and very round. 
[Only at Masambeti, where a single pair were found 
breeding, was this species observed. The flight and cry are 
similar to those of H. orientalis , and its general habits are 
probably much the same. The nesting-hole was situated in 
a cut-away bank of the railway and ran in about three or 
four feet; four eggs, which is the full clutch, were found in 
a cavity at the end and were deposited on the bare soil 
without lining or debris. 
The soft parts of an adult are:—Irides hazel; bill, legs 
and toes red.] 
418. Halcyon albiventris. 
N. Illovo, Nov. (2) ; Z. Jususie Valley, Nov., Dec. (2) ; 
Ngoye Hills, Oct. (1) ; Tv. Klein Letaba, July, Sept. (2) ; 
Woodbush, June (1) ; Legogot, Aph, May (4) $ P. Coguno, 
June, July (3). 
Some individuals of this species are much more strongly 
washed with ochreous on the breast and flanks than others. 
In the above series the birds from Legogot, killed in April 
and May, shew this most clearly, and I imagine that these 
are freshly moulted individuals and that the buff graduallv 
wears off in the course of the year. 
The birds from Coguno ought to be referable to H. orien¬ 
talis , the type of which is said by Peters to have come 
from Inhambane, but they have all the characters of 
//. albive?itris. 
