The Oologists' Record, June i, 1922. 33 



migrant (the Red-backed Shrike) and fifteen residents. Those 

 of which I have, as yet, no information as to their breeding are 

 Nilaus nigrifemporalis , Rchw., Tschagra anchietae, Boc, Nicator 

 gularis, Finsch. Hart!., Chlorophoneiis bertrandi, Shell., and Laniarius 

 fulleborni, Rchw. I proceed to deal with the other ten, as to some 

 of which, however, I do not yet know quite as much as I hope to 

 one day. 



Prionops talacoma (A. Sm.). — ^The South African Helmet Shrike 

 I first met with in comparatively low country — about 2,000 feet — 

 ten miles east of Zomba, but later on I found it quite common in 

 the second-growth woods (Masuku) near Blantyre, at 3,500 feet. 

 In other parts of the Highlands it is rare. I have seen it in Angoni- 

 land, but never in the Shire Valley. This is one of the birds (there 

 are many in different parts of the world) whose fate it is to be called 

 by English people " Seven Sisters " or " Happy Family." The 

 natives of Chiromo call them Alendo (the travellers), and in the 

 Highlands they are known to the Anyanja as Menyamenya. In 

 small flocks of, say, from five to fifteen, they move ceaselessly 

 through the scrubby trees, descending often to the ground and 

 chattering in an undertone. They get really noisy as the breeding 

 season approaches, but even then the flock never quite breaks up, 

 as one soon learns when a nest is discovered. On September 4th, 

 192 1, I found my first. I had gone to a recently discovered and 

 very likely looking patch of scrub about a mile from my house, 

 growing on rocky hills and shallow intervening valleys, the timber 

 being chiefl}^ original Albizzia (not second growth), and I was watching 

 the very trying performances of a pair of Falkenstein's Chats, when 

 two Prionops flew towards and past me, the foremost with something 

 in its beak. The\^ went into a tree about 30 yards behind me in 

 which I could just make out what looked like a grey lump in the 

 fork about which they settled. When they departed I went up 

 and saw the nest, a compact close woven cup, rather like that of 

 Bias musicus, grey in colour and so harmonising with the tree as 

 to be very difficult to find, did not one know just where to look. 

 The birds visited the nest three times in half an hour, both together 

 each time, and it was clear from the actions of one which settled 

 in the nest and worked its breast round it that they had not finished 

 it. However a week or so later it had disappeared, as so often is 

 one's disappointing experience with a building nest in Africa. On 

 October 4th I was more lucky. Returning from an early morning 



