the Birds of Zululand. 225 



of Hoopoes are found here : the Crested, so much like 

 the English species, frequenting^ the open ground, while the 

 Black and the Eed-billed species prefer the more wooded 

 parts. 



On the 31st August we obtained hearers and started for 

 Samhana^s, which is now part of Zululand. We fixed our 

 tent under the trees on the outskirts of the great Hlatikulu 

 forest, which covers a large portion of this part of the 

 Ubombo range. The natives, who are more Tonga than 

 Zulu, were very inhospitable, and we should have fared badly 

 but for Sub-Inspector Gillson, of the Zululand Police, who 

 was located with his men about two miles off, and who 

 supplied us with all that we required. We built here a 

 hartebeest-hut as a jirotection from the weather. This is, 

 perhaps, the simplest form of building that can be made, 

 being merely rafters or poles resting on the ground and 

 thatched with grass, looking like the roof of a house without 

 walls. Where long grass is unobtainable, large antelope- 

 skins are used — hence its name. We were repaid for our 

 trouble in coming here, as we obtained some very interesting 

 birds, one of which was Livingstone's Plantain-eater [Turacus 

 living sto7iii), the finest of the three South- African Louries. 

 We knew it to be an unusual species by its cry, before we 

 shot it ; it much resembles Turacus persa, but has a taller 

 and more conspicuous crest. We also shot a large Crested 

 Guinea-fowl, probably Numida verreauxi, although it does 

 not quite tally with the description given by Mr. Elliot in 

 Dr. Sharpe's book, there being no red on the throat of the 

 male bird. Its plumage is far more beautiful than that of 

 the crowned species, which keeps more to the flat lowlands. 

 So far as we know, the Ungoye is also the only habitat of 

 Staciolaema woodwardi. 



Mr. Stewart, the magistrate of the Inguavuma district, 

 lent us six court messengers to return as far as Nongoraa. 

 This was the longest walk we have taken out here, being a 

 distance of 80 miles; and we had to travel on short 

 allowance of food. A large part of the way was through the 

 tsetse-^y belt, so the carriage of goods is very precarious. 



