•52 Mr. C. F. M. Swynnerton on the 



upper foliage in thick busli, calling occasionally while thus 

 engaged and being answered, often at some distance, by its 

 mate with a low, somewhat harsh, repeated note " Che-che- 

 che-che-che, &c." (light German ''ch^^). Its commonest 

 note, however, is a loud click, followed by a clear whistle ; 

 the latter was well rendered by Marshall in his paper 

 on Mashonaland birds, but the former has usually, in 

 winter I think always, a decided roll in it, and the whole 

 might be rendered most nearly as "■ Trrk-whiw ! '' In 

 the spring the birds seem to acquire an extended range of 

 . song, a fairly common note from October onwards being a 

 loud, harsh " Chikerrr ! Cbikerrr ! " or a tearing note some- 

 what like that of D. guttatus. The male, too, at this time of 

 year, will frequently stop in its search for insects and sing, 

 with outstretched neck and head on one side, " Trr-trr-trr- 

 trr-trr-Trrk-who-wheeoo ! Trrk-who-wheeco ! Trrk-who- 

 "wheeoo ! ^' a " Whip-poor-will " sort of note rather longer 

 drawn than the commoner " Trrk-whiw ! "" I once, in the 

 winter, noted a pair calling to one another with a peculiar 

 "■ chip-chip-chururu ! " 



.. This bird has a loud crackling flight and a peculiar display ; 

 it will sometimes fly with this crackling sound for some 

 distance (perhaps halfway in crossing an open space between 

 trees) and then, holding its head well up and l)ringing its 

 outstretched Avings well down at each note, utter in flight the 

 rapidly repeated '' twhiw, twhiw, twhiw " (with little " click '' 

 and no roll), which in the summer often takes the place of 

 the commoner and less modifled note. It is common in the 

 Inyamadzi Valley in the more luxuriant growth bordering 

 the river, and in the Chikamboge Valley. In the low veld 

 I found it particularly plentiful between Inyamita and 

 Malata, as well as at Chibabava and in the Madanda 

 forests- ; otlier low veld localities noted were the Mwangezi 

 River, Chimb ay a, the Umtefu, Gezanye, Arucate, Muchuk- 

 wana, Idunda River, Inyandhlovu, and Gwaragwara. 



Five of ray specimens averaged (rSl inches in the flesh, 

 with a variation of from G"35 to 7*1 inches. 



