THE HONEY-GUIDES 189 



dropped down to the released bird in what seemed a nonaggressive, 

 rather gentle fashion, and the two flew away together. Almost 

 immediately they retm-ned together with a third individual. Where 

 this last bird joined them is not known, but by trapping in the imme- 

 diate vicinity of the call site Ranger and Skead found that at least 

 six lesser honey-guides frequented the spot. 



Inasmuch as nothing is known of the mating behavior of this 

 species it is not possible to say if it is promiscuous hke /. indicator. 

 There are a few recorded observations that suggest that two indi- 

 viduals remain together for some periods of time, but these are not 

 explicit enough to allow for an interpretation. 



Skead (1951, p. 53) writes of two birds "keeping company" from 

 July to September. In Abyssinia, Lovat (in Ogilvie-Grant, 1900, 

 pp. 306-307) noted that in April lesser honey-guides were in breeding 

 condition "and a pair flitted aU around our camp most of the day." 

 Beven (1945, p. 12) noted a "pair" in Zululand. In Mozambique, 

 Donald Lamm writes me that on November 11 at Movene he saw 

 a "pair, sticking close together, and hotly pursued by a black-coUared 

 barbet . . . which chased them from tree to tree chattering at them 

 aU the time. Usually they moved off when attacked, but never went 

 far." As noted above in a different connection, A. Roberts (1911, 

 pp. 73-74) coUected a "pair" at Boror, Mozambique, which turned 

 out to be two males. He considered this to be "remarkable, because 

 they are very pugnacious and jealous of other members of their own 

 species straying into their own particular hunting grounds." I know 

 of no data bearing on any such implied territoriality or "jealousy," 

 and I cannot help but wonder if Roberts may not have written beyond 

 the evidence. 



Eggs and Egg Laying 



The eggs of the lesser honey-guide are pure white with a considerable 

 gloss, oval in shape, and vary in size from 20.3-22.6 by 14.5-17.9 

 mm. (One egg, possibly a "runt" or a misidentifled specimen, is 

 said to measure only 10 mm. in width although 21 nun. long.) An egg 

 taken from the oviduct of a bhd collected at Mahagi Port, Belgian 

 Congo, measm-ed 21.5 by 16.8 mm., and may be looked upon as an 

 absolutely authentic "reference" specimen (subspecies /. minor 

 riggenbachi). Another, laid in a cage by a trapped bird (/. minor 

 minor) in the eastern Cape Province, measured 22.5 by 17.0 mm. Ivy 

 (1901, pp. 21-22) and A. Roberts (1913, p. 21) each collected a female 

 with a shelled egg ready to be laid (nominate South African race), 

 but neither published a description of these authenticaUy identified 

 eggs. 



