186 Mr. R. E. Sharpe on a Collection of 



leaves both a broad trail and a very strong scent — so much so 

 that the dogs were always up first. More Harriers and a QuaiFs 

 nest wound up the day. 



My last excursion was to some pine-woods, in which I found 

 Caprimulgus ruficollis abundant, and obtained many specimens. 

 Cyanopica cooki swarmed, breeding generally in small colonies. 

 Lanius auriculatus was also abundant everywhere. We got a 

 few Bee-eaters^ eggs after tremendous digging ; but, even on the 

 16th of May, very few had begun to lay. Aedon galactodes was 

 abundant ; but we only obtained two nests, which came utterly 

 " to grief," thanks to " those boys." My very hours were now 

 counted, as, in order to attend to my young Eagle, I had made 

 up my mind to return home by sea in one of the Seville steamers. 

 Manuel, however, made a flying excursion to the j^ajareras, 

 as the breeding-place of the swamp-birds is called. They had 

 not begun to lay ; but they had assembled, and on the 21st he 

 came in with a huge basket containing Little Egrets, Buff-backed 

 and Squacco-Herons, and Glossy Ibis, mostly in the finest 

 plumage, some of the Squaccos still rather bare about the neck. 

 We were hard at work skinning till past midaight, and at 6 a.m. 

 I was on my way to Cadiz to join the steamer for London. 



XV. — On a Collection of Birds from the Fantee Countrij in 

 Western Africa. By R. B. Sharpe. 



(Plate IV.) 



A SMALL collection of Birds formed in the vicinity of Cape-Coast 

 Castle has lately been submitted to my inspection by Mr. E. T. 

 Higgins, of Bloomsbury Street ; and as I believe some of the 

 species contained therein to be of considerable rarity, I have 

 taken an early opportunity of bringing a hst of the birds before 

 the notice of ornithologists. ,. 



The only record of any collection made in the precise locality 

 from which the present series comes, that I have been able to 

 discover, is the small list of birds obtained by Dr. Gordon at 

 Cape-Coast Castle, and recorded by Sir William Jardine in the 

 ' Contributions to Ornithology,' for 1849 (pp. 1-13). Dr. Hart- 



