THE HONEY-GUIDES 209 



2 1st day: The honey-guide again was tested for reaction by plac- 

 ing a starling nestling alongside it in the nest, but this evoked no 

 response of any kind from the parasite. The latter showed dislike 

 at being handled, but less vigorously than on the day before. 



22nd day: Chick still maintained continuous calling, but stopped 

 when inspected; bill pinkish (Skead). 



23rd day: Bill had a deposit of dark pigment and was becoming 

 dusky ("thin, anaemic black," Ranger). 



25th day: Chick well feathered, gray below, light and brown 

 above (paler than in the adult), outer rectrices white (Skead). 



26th day: Bill as on 23rd day, nostrils very prominent. Body 

 well feathered, lower abdominal and anal areas being only partly 

 exposed. A colored thickening at the corners of the mouth, absent 

 in the young nestling, developed later (in the third week?); at this 

 stage it was cream colored (Ranger). Chick almost as big as adult 

 barbet. Heard making low peeping noise (Skead) . 



30th day: Abdominal area was stUl naked; bare skin around eye 

 cream color, similar to that of the thickenings at the gape. The 

 nestling crouched very determinedly at the bottom of the nest and 

 pecked Ranger's fingers when he attempted to seize it. The tubercles 

 studding the heel callosity were becoming flattened (possibly either 

 by use or pressure against the wood), but the heel pad itself had not 

 shrunk. The bird's voice, heard from outside the nest hole, was very 

 low in tone. Skead reports that a 30-day-old chick called gently 

 for long spells but not as continuously as it did earlier. 



33rd day: Chick was more silent; beak still pale near gape, horn 

 colored at the tip (Skead). 



35th day: Ranger came to the nest at 10:25 a. m., and a barbet 

 flew out. Soon after the young honey-guide showed its head, which 

 protruded far enough to enable the bird to look about in all directions 

 from the entrance hole that was in the underside of a much inclined 

 branch. It drew back out of sight, but repeated the peering at the 

 hole and then withdrawing from sight from time to time for the 

 next hour. It did not utter any sound when at the entrance, and 

 its voice was heard only when one of the barbets came with food; 

 loudest immediately after the feeding when it sounded in tone much 

 like the voice of the kite Milvus. It was a low utterance, audible 

 only at close range. During the hour that Ranger watched the nest, 

 the adult barbets fed fruit to the young honey-guide, passing the 

 bits of food to it without entering the nest themselves more than to 

 insert their heads. The barbets took turns in bringing food. One 

 remained about 5 yards from the nest, and on the arrival of its mate 

 with food the former would leave and the other would proceed to 



