The Springdale news., 1898-07-29
CUCKC0S CT THE CAFE.
Go, ra-o Fa,7cus for ysess Brilliant
 E.rls cf Plunase.

t,ut tie tue gems among birds 1f the cuckoo kind known in South A r. tica are, after all, those lovely feath- cred creatures familiar at the Cape as golden" and emerald cuckoos. which towards November fly south, aud are 50 often met with in the noble forest country of the Knysna and Zt- zikamma, fringing the cape littoral between MosscI bay and Cape St. Francis. Here, almost unknown to the average traveller who ruShes hur- riedly Up country in search of gold, diamonds, CT land concessions, lies a magnificent and most picturesque for est region some no miles long by about l2 miles in width, between the mountains and the sea. Let the trav- eler, lucky enough to find his way thither, stand upon the crest Of the Outeniqua mountains and look around, and he will see, stretching away before him, dense line of forest and jungle, wherein troops of wild elephants still roam. 1ellowwood trees so feet high, the fine stinkwood, the oak of South Africa, the essenwood, and other trees all flourish here. The :neezewood (whose sawdust upon reaching the nostrils brings on an un- comfortable fit of sncezing) is found in the kalfrarian forests more to the eastward Here you may see the kaf- fir bean with it's brilliant coral-like flowers, the IIottrntot's bean with it's dark green foliage and rich clusters of scarlet blossoms, masses of ferns, wild pelargoniums, gladioli, ixias, irises, and many other flowers bedeck- ing the soil Pendulous lichons add a wild and fantastic charm to the for est trees.
 Amid these scenes many brilliant birds of Plumage are to be noticed, and, resPlendeni among them, the three glorious cuckoos for which the cape is famous. Of these the golden cuckoo (Chalcitcs smaragdincus) is perhaps precminent in coloring. The upper plumage, with the neck and breast, is of a wonderful metallic sheen; in some lights brilliant en- erald, in others q greeniah coppery eoll The under parts are in most specimens rich yellow; in a few others almc5t white; the tail feathers are barred with white. This is a small ish cuckoo, measuring only some eight inches in length. The lovely little Didric-so called from its mel anchoIy and frequent notc-is of a cuprcous, metallic green, marked with white, and IS found not only at the knysna, but also in various other parts of the colony. Klaas' cuckoo, So named from l favorite IIottento. servant (klaas) cf its discoverl., Lo Valiant, is another forest-Gjird nota- ble for it's shining >rietalIic coat of green tonc!ted "lth copper; the un- der nartS are clear white, and there are g-r<@-5n markings upon the chest and thighs The female may be readily identified by thc brown cross bars upon the back and the green bars upon the white breast and belly. This charming cuckoo is known to the Dutch colonists ds the "AIiajo" The DiGr.e is slightly smaller than the golden cuckoo, while the tiny Kl2as' cuckoo is still smaller than the Didric. Needless 10 say, these matchless birds are eagerly sought for their plumage. Happily, their numbers are recruited every year by fresh migrations from the far African interior. - London Saturday Review.