701. N ycticorax griseus, L. Night Heron.
The Night-Heron is generally distributed throughout the colony;
hut appears to be nowhere common. It breeds abundantly at the
Berg River in September, in company with the other Herons, in
a vley near the bank on Mr. Welck’s side, but we never found
it in the reeds lining the banks. The nests resembled those of
the other species, and the eggs, coloured the same, were generally
rather pointed at both ends—three to five in number. Axis, 1" 10'";
diam., 1" 4'". Mr. Rickard records it from Uitenhage. In Natal
Mr. Ayres says they are exceedingly scarce; when found they are
always amongst the dense mangroves, and stationary; when disturbed
they almost invariably alight again at a short distance, getting more
and more wary each time they are put up. Majors Butler and
Feilden and Captain Reid state that it was uncommon in the
Newcastle district, only one young bird being met with. In the
Transvaal Mr. Ayres says they are more plentiful, and he procured
an adult female and a young male on the Inshlangeen River during
Mr. Jameson s expedition to Mashoona Land. Mr. Andersson's
notes on the species are as follows :—“ This species is pretty
frequent in the Lake country; it occurs in Ondonga in the wet
season, and is recorded as having been obtained on the Orange
River. In Damara Land I have only observed it very rarely, and
always in immature plumage. It feeds on fish, reptiles, aquatic
insects, slugs, &c.” Senor Anchieta has met with it at Mossamedes,
the Coroca River, and Humbe.
General colour, light slate; paler on the side of • the head and
neck, with a vinaceous tinge; chin, centre of throat, and under
parts, white; the back, top of the head, and a portion of the hinder
part of neck, dark iridescent-green; from the back of the head
emanate two long, narrow, and pure white plumes, eight inches
long; legs yellow; irides in adult bird the same; in young birds
light reddish-madder. The young bird is of a dirty-grey, mottled
with white. Length, 2 4 " wing, 13"; tail, 5'.
Fig. Dresser, B. Eur. vi, pi. 399.
702. N ycticorax leuconotus, Wagl. White-backed Night-Heron.
A pair of these birds, male and female, were killed in April,
1870, at the Kleinmont, by Messrs. Ed. Atherstone and H. Barber.
They were the only pair that fell under our notice. Senor
Anchieta has also met with it at Humbe on the Cunene River, where
it is rather common, and is known to the inhabitants by the name of
Xicongo.
General colour, above, dark cinereous, tinged with rufous on the
shoulders, and slightly shot with green in the primaries; between
the shoulders a large black patch, becoming ashy on the rump;
neck, bright rufous, variegated in front with a line of brown, more
or less broken, which extends less conspicuously down the centre of
the chest and belly, which is a confused ashy-rufous; chin and patch
behind the eye, white; the rest of the head black, with greenish
reflections, crested; tail below, ashy. Length, 1" 10'"; wing, 11";
tail, 5".
Fam. SCOPID2E.
703. S copus umb re tta. Hammer-head.
The “ Hammerlcop ” (literally Hammer-head) is found throughout
the colony, and all the way to the Zambesi, frequenting ponds,
marshes, rivers, and lakes. It is a strange, weird bird, flitting
about with great activity in the dusk of the evening, and preying
upon frogs, small fish, &c. At times, when two or three are
feeding in the same small pool, they will execute a singular dance,
skipping round one another, opening and closing their wings, and
performing strange antics. They breed on trees and on rocky
ledges, forming a huge structure of sticks, some of them of considerable
thickness. These nests are so solid that they will bear the
weight of a large, heavy man on the domed roof without collapsing.
The entrance is a small hole, generally placed in the most inaccessible
side. The eggs, three to five in number, are pure white. Axis,
1" 9"'; diam., 1" 4"'. On our late friend Jackson's farm, at Nel's
Poort, there is a singular rocky glen between two hills. In this
spot a beautiful permanent spring, called “ Jackalsfontein,” takes
its rise. Of course, in consequence there are a few wild almond and
other trees, and the place is a little oasis amid the barren mountains.
It is a favourite resort of wild animals, hyaenas, leopards, jackals,
&c., and here Mr. Jackson has constructed one of his most
successful hyaena traps. On the ledges of the rocks in this
secluded spot a colony of Hammerkops have built for years. Some