60 Mr. A. Roberts on Birds in 



some time, I spent some ten Jays at Matiwe, near Ngamwo, 

 finally returning, via Eara, to Quelimane about the 13tli 

 November. 



The country between Quelimane and Nhamacurra in April 

 was one almost continuous marsh, patches of jungle and 

 tangled forest covering the greater extent, and for the rest 

 here and there open tracts covered with tall rank grass. 

 Tlie Inhamacurra River is tidal up to the sugar estate of that 

 name ; beyond that it is hidden for some distance by tangled 

 forest, except where natives have made clearings for agri- 

 cultural purposes, and gradually becomes less sluggish, and 

 in its higher reaches becomes rocky and more interesting. 

 The same description applies to the other rivers we saw, the 

 lower reaches being more or less bounded by tangled forest 

 and extensive reed-beds, and the higher more easily 

 approached and a happy relief from the everlasting forest. 



Villa Pereira (300 feet above sea-level according to Kirlu) 

 is situated about fifty miles as the crow flies N.N.AV. of 

 Quelimane, on the west bank of the Liquari River. It is 

 the headquarters of a Portuguese clerk of the Boror 

 (Vimpany, who has in his charge the collection of taxes from 

 natives in the district of Rara, and the superintendence of a 

 rubber plantation, which was, during our stay, taking the 

 })lace of coffee. This station was an ornithologist's paradise, 

 sis within easy reach it contained various classes of forest, a 

 large clearing, stretching for a mile and half along the river 

 l)ank, and a large number of orange-trees which attracted 

 frugivorous birds. 



Namagoa is very similar to Villa Pereira, but lacks the 

 open ground and a river. Mpimba is situated in the heart 

 of tangled forest and open marshy glades, and about twelve 

 miles S.W. of Villa Pereira. Manta is in much the same 

 class of country, but even more marshy, and some seven miles 

 S.W. of Mpimba. Muriela is about nine miles W. of Villa 

 Pereira, at a point on the Mungusi River where it gradually 

 assumes the rocky nature of its bed characteristic of the 

 iiiohcr reaches, and llu^ forest to the N. is more open. 

 N<'"amwe is on the banks of a beautiful I'ocky tributai'v of 



