128 BULLETIN 208, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



about 15 yards away, where it remained for a minute when a forest 

 weaver (Symplectes hicolor) flew into the tree near it. The honey-guide 

 gave a shree note and then the weaver flew at it and violently chased it 

 out of sight; at 10:36 the honey-guide returned to the favorite post (A) 

 returning to the identical twig it had used before; in the next horn- 

 it remained in the same tree, using six different twigs as perches and 

 gave 89 series of vic-tor notes. At 11:36 the bird was deliberately 

 approached to make it fly to see where its secondary call posts were, 

 and it was, in effect, chased from perch to perch. It did not stop 

 calling during this period of forced movement. Its flights pivoted 

 from site A, the bird returning from each of the secondary posts to 

 its favorite twig. While perched on A, the bird would allow a closer 

 approach before flying off than at any of the secondary posts. It 

 seemed to prefer sneezewood trees, acacias, and trees with protruding 

 bare or dead branches. 



The next morning Skead spent several hours at site A and made 

 the following observations. 



The honey-guide was heard giving its vic-tor notes while I was still a good way 

 off. Found him on the same twig at site A as yesterday. On my approach he 

 flew 25-30 yards to perch C and stayed there while I placed some empty bee 

 comb on a branch four feet from the ground, below and in view of his lofty perch. 

 [His favorite perch was about 25-30 feet up.] I took up a position about 30 

 yards away. He was calling in the denser bush lower down on the hill in a 

 desultory manner. I chased him from there and he flew to site A again at 9:53 

 where he "victored" until 10:35. He then voluntarily flew about 20 yards east- 

 wards and recommenced "victoring." I took advantage of this change of position 

 to remove the honeycomb, and attached it next to the favorite twig on tree A. 

 I then went to drive him back to site A and found a female with him. Both birds 

 seemed calm and quiet and the male "victored" as before. She showed no interest 

 — just sat. Then she flew 10 yards or so in the direction of site A. On alighting 

 she flicked her wings and tail up and down sharply in the way that barbets do 

 when excited. He followed and also flicked his wings and tail on alighting but 

 went on "victoring" about 6 feet from her. Later he flew alone to site A, saw the 

 comb, probed it a little with his beak but did not feed, and went on calling. She 

 followed and settled 6 inches from the comb, which she ignored but must have 

 seen. She was lower in the tree than the male. Then he flew down to her and 

 alighted on her back, flapping his wings, but only momentarily. They parted, 

 she to sit a few feet from him — no sound or apparent excitement. Both then 

 flew to a dead mimosa behind A and sat quite still about 10 feet apart while he 

 "victored." She then flew towards me and settled in full view. He followed at 

 once and alighted gently on her back. She was agreeable; he laid his outstretched 

 neck and chin on her nape and head, which were also stretched forward, her tail 

 was swung around to her right, while he fluttered his wings rapidly during copula- 

 tion. Suddenly a screeching broke out, harsh and anxious in tone — skreh-skreh- 

 skreh, I think from the female. Then locked thus, with him on top, they fluttered 

 down, off balance, almost to the ground and continued thus down the slope of the 

 hill for about 15 yards, the screeching continuous all the while. They passed 

 from my view and silence ensued. This was at II a, m. and all was quiet until 



