284 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a 



150 feet high, and are generally without a bough to within 

 some 50 feet of the top. These large trees are the resort of a few 

 birds of prey, chiefly Buteo desertorum, Milvus eegyptius, and 

 Neophron pileatus. This latter species, though extremely abun- 

 dant at Cape Coast, is never met with at Accra ; and where it 

 breeds is not yet known, although it is numerous all the year 

 round at Cape-Coast Castle. 



Small birds are plentiful at Abrobonko, and wonderfully 

 varied ; but on this occasion our special object was to collect 

 the Sunbirds, which were abundant round the tulip-trees, at- 

 tracted thither by their large red flowers. These trees, however, 

 were not particularly picturesque; for though covered with 

 flowers, they were entirely devoid of leaves. In half an hour we 

 had collected some twenty specimens of Nectariniidse belonging 

 to seven species. The habits of all the Nectariniidse are very 

 similar: they seek their food (which consists of small insects) 

 among the flowering trees and shrubs, and are lively and 

 active in their pursuit, and appear to glory in the sunshine ; for 

 they rarely hide themselves in the shady bushes. 



At Cape-Coast Castle, Connor^s Hill, within ten minutes' 

 walk of Government House, we found a very good spot for col- 

 lecting, especially in the morning, after rain ; and here we ob- 

 tained most of the European forms, as Phyllopneuste trocliilus, 

 P. sibilatrix, &c. Fort William, on the opposite side of the 

 town, was particularly good for collecting Swifts and Swallows, 

 while the Lighthouse Hill is the only spot where Chaetura 

 ussheri has yet been obtained. The avenue of cocoa-nut palms 

 along the road to the Salt Pond was, in the morning, a great 

 attraction for the Nectariniidse, while the Salt Pond itself abounds 

 with Waders and Terns. The Abrobonko road beyond this 

 was, perhaps, one of the best grounds for general collecting, as 

 here and there spaces had been cleared in the bush. 



On February the 5th we left Cape-Coast Castle, on board the 

 Government steam-yacht, for Accra, intending to ascend the 

 Volta in her ; but our plans were frustrated by her boilers getting 

 out of order. 



The country round Accra is much more open than at Cape 

 Coast, the plain being covered with high grass and scattered 



