Ornithology of the Gambia River. 485 



have been made by monkeys, but which I soon learnt was 

 uttered by parties of Crater opus reinwardti. On the neigh- 

 bouring mud a solitary bird, marked Hke a Redstart but of 

 the size of a Thrush, stealthily hopped along. A specimen 

 was with difficulty bagged, and. proved to be Cossypha 

 albicapilla. 



Much of the country hereabouts was of a varied nature, 

 ranging from level plateaux covered with cane-brakes 

 and small leguminous trees, to cultivated valleys nearer the 

 towns, where the natives grow millet, maize, cotton, and 

 ground-nuts ; here the soil was saudy, with only a solitary 

 cotton-tree {Bombax), mahogany (Kaia), or fig-tree left 

 standing. Nearer the river were level plains, flooded in the 

 rainy season, where the natives plant a little rice. 



As we came back through Koruntaba to the river-side, 

 and thence to McCarthy Island again, I noticed a new bird, 

 the Piebald Crow [Corvus scapulatus) , and shot a Heron 

 {Ardea melanocephala) , a large Eagle {Aquila wahlbergi), 

 and a Harrier {Circus macrurus). 



I went down to Bathurst for the new year, and there 

 engaged two native fishermen, arriving at McCarthy Island 

 again on the 11th of January; thence, after a stay of eight 

 days, I took my fishermen, cook, and nets down to Niani- 

 maru for two weeks. A large number of the smaller birds 

 were obtained at this time, including Shrikes, Woodpeckers, 

 Bee-eaters, Honey-suckers, and Weaver-birds. All the 

 Shrikes were found solitary or in pairs, except Prionops 

 plumatus, which moved restlessly about the thickets of the 

 stony plateaux in parties of a dozen. Scoptelus aterrimus 

 was common here, though, unlike the large Irrisor sene^ 

 galensis, it was always seen in pairs. 



About this time the natives were burning the dead jungle 

 on the lowlands, and I often watched with interest the 

 enormous numbers of White Herons {Ardea garzetta) 

 cautiously moving in front of the advancing flames and 

 devouring the insects which were driven out of the grass by 

 the heat of the fire. Above them twittered a vast number 

 of Merops nubicus, literally showing a red cloud of wings as 



