328 Dr. J. Kirk on the Birds of the Zambesi Region. 



guide the way to a nest of bees. When this is reached^ it flies 

 about, but no longer guides ; and then some knowledge is needed 

 to discover the nest, even when pointed out to within a few trees. 

 I have known this bird, if the man after taking up the direction 

 for a little then turns away, come back and offer to point out 

 another nest in a different part. But if it do not know of two 

 nests, it will remain behind. The difficulty is, that it will point to 

 tame bees in a bark-hive as readily as to those in the forests. 

 This is natural, as the bee is the same ; the bark-hive, "Musinga" 

 as it is named, being simply fastened up in a tree and left for 

 the bees to come to. The object the bird has in view is clearly 

 the young bees. It will guide to nests having no honey, and 

 seems equally delighted if the comb containing the grubs be torn 

 out, when it is seen pecking at it. 



Fam. VICIDM. 



87. Dendrobates hartlaubii. 



Frequent in all woods, in the Zambesi and Shire valley. 



88. Dendrobates namaquus. 



Murchison Rapids, river Shire; March. This species of 



Woodpecker is much rarer than the smaller sort, and limited to 



certain localities. 



Fam. CAPITONID^. 



89. POGONORHYNCHUS NIGRITHORAX. 



Common in open forests of the Zambesi valley ; frequently to 

 be found on fig-trees. 



Fam. MUSOPHAGID^. 



90. CoRYTHAix LiviNGSTONi (Gray)*. 



This species, which is very nearly allied to the Cape C. albo- 

 cristatus, differing in the front feathers of the crest being some- 

 what larger, ending in a prolonged point, is peculiar to the 

 mountains south of Lake Nyanza, where it was seen by Dr. 

 Livingstone and myself in 1859, when passing to Lake Shirwa. 

 On that occasion we noticed it in the ravine at the foot of the 

 hills within a few miles of the river, but on no subsequent occa- 

 sion was it seen so low down. 



* Turacns Ihnngstonii, G. G. Gray, P.Z.S., 1864, p. 44. 



