THE HONEY-GUIDES 101 



latter in that /. variegatus has a "protest note" used against intruders 

 of its own kind at the call site; or, in other words, that variegatus shows 

 some sign of "exclusiveness" or "jealousy" in its call-post occupancy, 

 while indicator does not. 



Notes made by Ranger and Skead in 1951 reveal that these honey- 

 guides move about a great deal, but usually do not give their croaking 

 or purring notes except from definite call sites. Skead (in litt.) sum- 

 marizes his findings as follows: These birds roam a great deal and are 

 very rapid fliers; "obvious honey-guides" dashing up and down 

 stream in a wooded kloof at all times of the day made it apparent that 

 they cover considerable ground, although there were no data then 

 suggesting that the birds go more than a few hundred yards from their 

 call sites. However, birds apparently established on their call sites 

 did leave them for considerable periods of time, in which they could 

 have gone much farther afield. Apparently this species does not ad- 

 here as closely to its call posts during the day as does Indicator indicator. 

 On one occasion Ranger saw one about a mile from the one known 

 call site, and another 1,100 yards beyond this again, but there is no 

 proof that these observations pertain to the bird or birds using the 

 known call post. The extent of the wanderings of an individual bird is 

 suggested by the following recent note of Ranger's: A banded bird 

 originally trapped at a wild bees' nest on June 17 was retaken at the 

 same spot on July 19 and again at another bees' nest three miles away 

 on August 24. 



Eggs and Egg Laying 



The eggs of the scaly-throated honey-guide are not certainly dis- 

 tinguishable from those of the lesser honey-guide, but appear to 

 average slightly wider in proportion to the length than those of the 

 latter species. There is, unfortunately, but a single completely 

 authenticated egg of /. variegatus known. This one is reported by 

 Neuby-Varty (1948, p. 158), who took an egg ready to be laid from the 

 oviduct of a female shot on November 24, 1947, on the Umvukwe 

 Ranch, Banket, Southern Rhodesia. It was glossy white and measured 

 20.75 by 16.5 mm. Another egg also was taken by Neuby-Varty (1946, 

 pp. 345-346), who watched a pair of black-collared barbets trying to 

 keep a scaly-throated honey-guide away from their nest. He says — 



... as I wanted the honeyguide's egg I climbed up and in removing a piece of 

 bark about 1 inch square from the back of the nest I noticed I was through to the 

 nest and could remove the egg that was there, which I did, but as it looked like 

 a barbet's egg I put it back and replaced the bit of bark. By this time all three 

 birds were not to be seen. I climbed down . . . and watched. I had been about 

 5 minutes in my hide when out of a tree about 30 yards away the honeyguide 

 came out, flying very fast. It flew straight into the nest, not even hesitating at 

 the entrance, and in three seconds it was out and flew away. I waited for another 



