108 Letters, Announcements, ^c. 



In travelling through the Bechuana country one often comes 

 upon a party of five or six of these birds, hiding from the mid- 

 day heats under the sheltered portions of denser foliage near the 

 centre of a large tree. 



Whilst yet undisturbed, the crest lies flat on the head, and 

 can only be seen as a tuft projecting from the occiput. But their 

 first act on becoming aware of an intruder, is to run along the 

 branches, either to the summit of the tree or to the extremity of 

 a branch commanding a good look-out, where, with crest fully 

 erected and well thrown forward, they keep up a constant re- 

 iteration of their note. If but little alarmed, they move rapidly 

 from branch to branch, frequently jerking up the crest, and 

 assuming an attitude of attention*. 



Again, after flight from one tree to another, on alighting 

 they first rest on a branch, with the body somewhat horizontal, 

 and the tail drawn nearly to the perpendicuiai', as if assuring 

 themselves of their equilibrium, and then raising the body, 

 elongating their neck and at the same time elevating the crest, 

 they seem to take an observation as to the security of their new 

 position. 



So much is this a habit of the bird, that during the conversa- 

 tional difficulties of my earlier intercourse with the Bechuanas, 

 when inquiring for the nest of Scldzorhis (the native name of 

 which is '' Ma-quaai") , when it dawned upon the mind of a 

 native what bird I meant, he has imitated its note, accompanied 

 by a sudden jerking up of the hand, with his fingers extended 

 to their utmost, as if at the same time to mimic the elevation of 

 the crest. 



In the same paper Mr. Sclater mentions that "Mr. J. J. 

 Monteiro, speaking of the grey False Tui'aco {S. concolor), as 

 observed in Benguela, expressly states that the crest-feathers are 

 always carried erect." In my own experience, the" observation of 

 Schizorhis was an every-day occurrence ; and, as I have stated, 

 when undisturbed (also when in flight), very little of the crest is 

 to be seen j but it is invariably carried erect on the least alarm. 



I may here mention a peculiar scream of S. concolor. I was 



* These are precisely the hahits of the various species of C'olim found 

 in the colony. — E. L. L. 



