286 Messrs. Shelley and Buckley on a 



during the day they crouch close to the stems of the bushes, 

 and are very hard to detect or disturb, while towards dusk they 

 frequent the paths, rising close before one from the bare ground, 

 and alighting again a few paces distant. 



Cypselus apus, C. affinis, and C. parvus are very abundant, 

 the latter species frequenting the palm trees, in the folded-up 

 leaves of which it was breeding in February, always in colonies. 



We obtained three species of Merops. Merojjs albicollis is 

 extremely abundant and evenly distributed throughout the 

 country, while M. pusillus is confined to the more open districts, 

 where it frequents the low bushes; it was always in pairs in 

 February. 



Eurystomus afer is plentiful at a short distance inland from 

 Accra, but has not been met with, to my knowledge, near Cape- 

 Coast Castle, where its place appears to be taken up by the 

 nearly allied species E. gularis. 



Ceryle rudis we observed hovering over the Salt Pond at Cape 

 Coast. Ispidina picta we obtained at Abrobonko and at the 

 foot of Connor's Hill. Halcyon malimbica and H. cyanoleuca we 

 met with at Abrobonko. 



Buceros albocristatus we found very abundant about Abouri, 

 where it frequents the highest trees, and on the wing looks 

 very graceful as it floats easily through the air. At Quamin-fio 

 we obtained a pair of Toccus nasutus, which were feeding in the 

 cassava-fields when we saw them : their irides are red, while those 

 of the former species are dark brown. 



Corythaix macrorhyncha frequents the thick bush ; it has a 

 peculiar loud jarring song. Schizorhis africana is plentiful 

 near Accra, where it may generally be seen perched upon the 

 very topmost bough of some large tree in the more open country, 

 and is very difficult to approach. The irides are dark brown. 



Coccystes glandarius we killed near Accra. C. caffer is not 

 uncommon throughout the district. The beautiful Golden 

 Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus, we shot on Connor's Hill. Ce7i- 

 tropus senegalensis is extremely abundant throughout the west 

 coast. Its song is rather pleasing, consisting of a regular scale 

 of notes, commencing with the highest one. The irides are red. 



We only met with Barbets in the dense forests of the Agua- 



