184 BULLETIN 208, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



On the other hand, Pitman writes me from Uganda that he has the 

 impression that these birds establish very definite territories, although 

 he qualifies this statement by admitting that he has no supporting 

 evidence for it. In answer to a query of mine, Pringle (in litt.) writes 

 that on his large farm at Bedford the honey-guides (both /. indicator 

 and /. minor) have definite localities of large area and that he has 

 never observed any fighting for possession by the birds. Inasmuch as 

 Pringle's observations were summarized from memory in his communi- 

 cation, I cannot help but wonder if the large area of the supposed 

 "territories" may not mean merely that the distance between call sites 

 was very considerable. 



More information is highly desirable. 



Courtship and Mating 



There is almost nothing in the literature on the courtship and mating 

 habits of the lesser honey-guide except for one little note on the Ni- 

 gerian race, alexanderi. Brown (1948, p. 535) observed "individuals 

 of this species performing a curious flight, perhaps a form of display. 

 The bird flies round in circles at great speed. Two violent wing-beats 

 are foUowed by a short glide, so that the flight is markedly undulating. 

 The wing-beats occur at intervals of about half a second, and are 

 accompanied by a loud clapping sound, as if the wings were being 

 struck together. The whole sound-effect is like a motor bicycle firing 

 irregularly." 



This rustling flight has also been observed in the nominate subspecies 

 in South Africa. Near Kei Koad, eastern Cape Province, Ranger 

 informed me that he has seen Indicator minor fly around several times 

 in a cncle about forty yards in diameter, constantly dipping as it flies, 

 and with each dip making a whirring noise with its wings — a single 

 whirring, not a double one as in Indicator indicator. Whether this 

 rustling fhght is a courtship performance is not clear, and, without 

 further evidence, we have no real way of interpreting it. Other 

 observations of this behavior have come to me from Bedford, not far 

 from Kei Road, and from near Uitenhage, farther to the west in the 

 Cape Province. Mr. Barrel C. H. Plowes informed me that at Bed- 

 ford on May 18, 1948, he and Victor Pringle watched a lesser honey- 

 guide as it flew in short fast bursts with its tail spread, making a 

 humming noise as it circled around them several times. After going 

 around a few times it lit in a thorn tree where it began to give its 

 song-call. Plowes had the impression that the resulting or humming 

 sound was caused by the wind vibrating the tail feathers, but he could 

 not be certain. The fact that the bird later began to "sing" suggests 

 that it was a male, as the female is not Imown to give the kleeu note 

 (but may yet be found to do so). 



