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front 1 C, from 1V5. .in , 4-3, 0 ^ 4 S / ? o j " S / f ™
Female. Simn«,.+re ^.i*. ... •, , . .
Similar to the male, b u t the colours duUer and th e 1
““ “ uead more dusky.
^ k l | Z ™ / £ f t d h to cse p a rts helng
f t e wmgs and back d u l l ; b ill d a rk red. bfa'ck a t H A w f “ft™"* *»® “ "o
f t M au d s, th e p resen t species
s more dusky, and th e white on the T F l \ Z r T t 7 T 7 S®” ®“" ' ‘one o f the p l u / a g !
Leiden Museum, which oontaius s p e c iie n s o f th e youlg rf bot“ S
Name. ?:----- °
4 H . en/.
Locality.
N. E. Africa, nm. £ . B. S.
Abyssmia
St. Jago, Keulemans
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" ■ i £ . ' r i £ “ l t o q £ / f = i i . = f e v i ” : .................... ......
following : - “ F f r , t p J „ ? f ; | ' , f t® ^ Z - t y ® ^ ^ ab o /e Expedition, are the
from Am to the Anseba riv e r d u rin g J u lv and T A / s t S ’ “ » a fte rw a rd s by both o f us
th e ir beaks, b u t could n o t discover the n ! s t Nnto ■ " i ca rry in g food in
Inse ctiv o ro u s I did not meet w ith th is speries t tn y jb e F T F A “ “ “ ™ " »¡minueiido.
o i h / Y e f o / i w K i S e ? - A A A ’° T “ ^ p / t i c ! t t a ' - ® f t
f i d l u a n d T ^ « 'A w a rT u p to ^ i^ o y h e wa rmer portions o f
(A d a il and Somah Coasts) in Octohpi- fo \ h P. . A. Lat. We found him by the sea
. . A r t - I . . . . . B . w . A " ; - 4 a L s ! T j i ' a r i f r . : , „ S i
Arabia. I t is g enerally met with in pa irs both b y water and in the wooded co u n try ; is,
however, more o f a fish-eater th an fond o f Orthoptera, Coleóptera, &c., which latter, however,
i t does n o t disdain. The breeding-time in Abyssinia m u st be in May and Ju n e ; the males
th en follow each o th er w ith much noise and pugnacity. The call may be rendered dji-dji-
dji-dschi.”
T he following observations h ave been kin d ly given to me by my friend M. Ju le s
V e rrea u x :—
“ Contrary to most Ornitbologists, I am unable to separate th e two birds known by
th e names o f Halcyon semiccemlea and Halcyon erythrogastra o f St. Jag o , where I have kiUed
m any specimens. The birds from th e last named locality appear indeed o f a more vivid
colour, especially as regards the fore p a rt o f the body, which is beautifully white compared
w ith specimens from Senegal and generally from the W est Coast o f Africa ; I have seen,
however, in th e numerous collections from these countries, individuals having the same
colouration as th e former b ird , whilst those from Abyssinia, w hich are also generally a little
p u rer in tin t th a n those o f West Africa, seem to be intermediate in size between the last-
named birds.
“ As reg ard s its h abits th ey are exactly th e same in every locality, and, as the Abyssinian
travellers have well remarked, these birds ordinarily frequent only brushwood, sometimes
th e larg e forests, especially in the breeding season, for i t is in the cavities o f the large trees
th a t th e female retire s to lay h e r fo u r o r five glossy pm*e white eggs which are like those
o f th e o th er species, b u t perhaps o f a little p u rer colour th an its congeners. A t this time
th e male appears exclusively charged with th e care o f the female a t first, and afterwards of
the y o u n g birds till th ey are old enough to shift for themselves. In St. Jag o I saw a large
n um ber in th e cotton-fields which sAvarm w ith insects, and these appeal* to be th e ir
p rinc ipal food. I am n o t a t th is day aware if a t the season when insects become scarce,
th e b ird s, like some o f th e ir congeners, frequent th e water to feed on the little fish, or to
cap tu re th e small crustaceans. I am, however, disposed to th in k th a t they do th is from
th e fact th a t I killed several specimens a t Goree, where I found them in small fiocks of
e ig h t o r ten individuals, n o t far from th e sea shore, b u t I could n o t foUoAv them up on account
o f th e shortness o f my stay. As w ith most species o f the genus, th eir nature is quick and
restless, th e ir cry is deep and sonorous, especially in the early morning aud late a t night,
when th ey collect to seek then* roosting place in the woods, for as far as I could see they
always took refuge in th e densest shades to pass the night. Du rin g the breeding season,
which we observed once d u rin g our travels a t Sierra Leone in November, each pair Avas
solitary, and did n o t mingle with the others. I t Avas a t th is time th a t we discovered many
ne sts, and we could see th a t the male was actively employed in chasing the insects to take
them to th e female as she was sittin g on h e r nest. I t is also at this period of th e year* th a t
th e b ird is b eautiful to see, for when h e is alarmed h e erects all the feathers o f the head,
forming a kin d o f graceful croAvn. D u rin g th e breeding season also th e birds are silent,
and i t is exceedingly rare to h e a r any o th er cry b u t the short note o f the male as lie
approaches the nest. I may add th a t i t was b y erro r th a t my friend Sir Andi’CAv Smith
included th is species among the b irds o f South Africa. When Ave were a t the Capo together
I gave him a specimen from Senegal o u t o f my collection, and i t must have been by an oversig
h t th a t i t was included b y him in the lis t of South African birds.”
I was particu larly pleased at h earin g from so good au au th o rity as M. Ju le s Verreaux
th a t Halcyon semiccemlea was n o t a South African bird. I have lo n g had doubts on this
subject, for I have never seen a specimen among the numerous collections I have examined
from South Africa, and th e southcrmost range o f th e present species is therefore, so far as
we knoAv, Ovampo Land, Avhere i t was procured by Andersson.
T he specimen from which the description and figure o f the ad u lt bird has been taken is
from Abyssinia, in my oAvn collection, th a t o f the young bfrd being the Ondonga specimen
aboA^e mentioned, also in my own cabinet.
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