THE HONEY-GUIDES 259 



the while a loud and rasping zeet, zeet, finally to settle on the topmost 

 branches of a high tree." 



Near Kei Road, eastern Cape Province, on November 9, I saw two 

 sharp-billed honey-guides in an acacia tree. One, apparently the 

 male, was displaying to the other, presumably a female. The first 

 bird was perched about 10 inches from the second one; it fluffed out 

 its body feathers, especially the white flank patches, which became 

 quite conspicuous as it drooped its wings in a half-open position, the 

 white flank patches extending above the lowered level of the wings; 

 its tail was spread showing the white on the outer rectrices very 

 plainly. It bent its head downward, and gave a sibilant zzzz. The 

 other bird (female?) took no apparent notice, but as I moved to get 

 a different view she (?) gave a sharp zeee-p note and flew off in an 

 undulating flight, followed by the male (?). A strong wind came up, 

 making it difficult to keep track of the birds, and I did not find them 

 again. 



Eggs 



One egg, "possibly" of this species, measuring 18 by 15 mm. in a 

 nest of Lyhius torquatus reported by A. Roberts (1939, p. 105) is too 

 uncertain to be accepted. One "small white" egg, supposedly of this 

 species, in a nest of Petronia superciliaris is reported by Townley 

 from Rumani Estate, Southern Rhodesia. 



Hosts or Victims 



The only definite knowledge we have so far as to the victims or 

 hosts of the sharp-biUed honey-guide is the following note published 

 by J. Vincent (1935, p. 16). 



On 11 March, 1930 ... on my farm [near Mooi River] in Natal I saw an 

 immature P. regulus in company with a pair of Diamond Sparrows . . . the 

 plantation was put under observation the following day, and the Honey Guide 

 was found to be still in company with the Sparrows, and was shot, the specimen 

 now being in the British Museum. 



Petronia superciliaris is general in East Africa wherever Prodotiscus occurs, and 

 I myself feel . . . that it constitutes one of the foster-parents of the genus. The 

 fact that Prodotiscus regulus was seen by Millar prying into holes ... is in 

 keeping with this possibility. 



If the young Prodotiscus had been seen but once with the Petronia 

 it could have been dismissed as a coincidence, but the fact that it 

 remained with them for two days makes it difficult to look upon this 

 record as other than a definite host-parasite combination. It is all 

 the more surprising that this species should be found to parasitize a 

 hole-nester, like the larger honey-guides of the genus Indicator, while 

 its congener P. insignis Isijs its eggs in open cuplike nests of white- 

 from eyes, warblers, and flycatchers. 



