Birds of Efulen i/i Kamerun. 93 



have. When a boy brought me two white eggs taken from 

 an Ovol's hole, he said that the little bats of the kind 

 mentioned were hatched from the eggs laid by the 0y61. 



These birds are often seen feeding on the small trees on old 

 cleared land. They eat insects to some extent, but berries 

 and fruits form their principal food. An " asefi "-tree with 

 ripe fruit is a constant resort, and they will chase away other 

 birds from the spot where they wish to feed, even the Green 

 Pigeons. 



The Ovol is the most quarrelsome of birds. The principal 

 use it finds for its voice is to express anger. More than 

 once individuals have been picked up by boys from the 

 ground, alive but exhausted by fighting. Once two were 

 so brought to me, still holding each other by the claws and 

 uttering loud angry cries. They were females. 



12. Trachyl.emus purpuratus (Ibis, 1904, p. 618). 



The " Ekuku," which is the largest of the Barbets, has 

 habits very like the others. Its favourite haunt is the tangled 

 growth of old cleared land, where it searches for the fruits 

 on which it feeds. Being secretive it is seldom seen, but it 

 is continually heard. Its usual call is a monotonous note 

 repeated slowly, about half a dozen times, in a soft far-away 

 tone. This is usually answered by the same call from 

 another bird (its mate?) a little way off, and the second 

 often begins before the first has finished, so that the two 

 are heard at once. AVhile making this call the bird bends 

 its head forward at each note (though an observer seldom 

 sees that, as the bird is usually hidden). It also sometimes 

 makes a rough guttural croaking noise, or an alarm-note, 

 imitated by the Bulu name " Ekuku." 



13. Verreatjxia africana (t. c. p. 620). 



All of my specimens of this bird had in their stomachs 

 small white grubs, such as bore in the stems of plants or 

 under bark. Once I saw a little fellow of this species, not 

 many yards away, pecking at a small green endogenous 

 stem no larger than a pencil. After it flew away I went to 

 look, and found afresh hole pierced to the worm-eaten heart 

 of the stem, but no worm. 



