BIRD-LORE OF THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
BY
REV. ROBERT GODFREY, M.A.
" Bantu Studies " Monograph Series, No. 2
JOHANNESBURG WITWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY PRESS
1941 598 . 29687 GOD BIRD-LORE OF THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE BIRD-LORE OF THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE
BY
REV. ROBERT GODFREY, M.A.
" Bantu Studies" Monograph .Series, No. 2
JOHANNESBURG WITWATERSRAND UNIVERSITY PRESS
1941 TO THE MEMORY
OF
JOHN HENDERSON SOGA
AN ARDENT FELLOW-NATURALIST
AND
GENEROUS CO-WORKER
THIS VOLUME
IS
AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED.
Published with the aid of a grant from the Inter-f University Committee for African Studies and Research. PREFACE
My interest in bird-lore began in my own home in Scotland, and was fostered by the opportunities that came to me in my wanderings about my native land. On my arrival in South Africa in 19117, it was further quickened by the prospect of gathering much new material in a propitious field. My first fellow-workers in the fascinating study of Native bird-lore were the daughters of my predecessor at Pirie, Dr. Bryce Ross, and his grandson Mr. Join% Ross. In addition, a little arm y of school-boys gathered birds for me, supplying the Native names, as far as they knew them, for the specimens the y brought. In 1910, after lecturing at St. Matthew's on our local birds, I was made adjudicator in an essay-competition on the subject, and through these essays had my knowledge considerably extended. My further experience, at Somerville and Blythswood, and my growing correspondence, enabled me to add steadily to my material ; and in 1929 came a great opportunit y for unifying my results. Prizes were offered by Mr. McIlwraith, M.P., Port Elizabeth, for Essays on Birds, to be written by Native children in Transkei schools, and I was asked by Mr. Bennie, Chief Inspector of Native Education, to act as adjudicator. These essays enabled me to collate the various dialectic names and to determine with confidence most of the species named. They also brought many more items of bird-lore to light ; but they left me with a large residuum of material, mainly in the form of unidentified names. Much of the material in this book has already appeared, in somewhat disjointed form, in the columns of the Blythswood Review. It is now set out in order, following the classification given in Dr. Austin Roberts' The Birds of South Africa, 1940. My thanks are due to Miss Stormont for help received in the prepara- tion of the MS. for the Press.
24 May, 1941. ROBERT GODFREY.
CONTENTS
CHAP. PAGE PREFACE 111
1. INTRODUCTION : BIRDS IN GENERAL 1 THE LIGHTNING-BIRD 2
II. FLIGHTLESS BIRDS : OSTRICH AND PENGUIN