62 Mr. A. Rol)erts o?i Birds in 



on account of frrass-fires, -wliicli Avere SAvee})inp; all the dry 

 herbage before them ; procuring game after this was easy, 

 and many interesting forms of small animals Avhich before 

 liad been hidden in the undergrowth and grass were then 

 observed. Trees were found burning weeks after the grass- 

 fires had passed, and it is noteworthy that large game had 

 become so accustomed to hearing the crash of trees that had 

 been gradually burnt away at their roots about this time, 

 that they took no notice of the i'e])ort of firearms, and only 

 })ecame alarmed when they caught sight of us. The last 

 showers of rain had fallen in duly and the streams had 

 become drier and drier, until by the end of September only 

 pools were to be found here and there in their beds. Mists, 

 however, continued to rise during the night and hang over 

 the forest until the sun dispersed them, and these produced 

 a certain amount of moisture for the trees ; but after the 

 grass-fires even these disappeared, and not a breath of air 

 was there to stir them, so that very little shelter was afforded 

 from the blazing sun, and the heat was most oppressive. 

 Under these conditions, the preservation of specimens was 

 most difficult, and but little collecting was done. At Buruma 

 it rained for one day, followed by two misty days, jjroducing 

 the most wonderful results in the springing into life of green 

 herbao-e, and the awakening of animal and bird life. Note 

 the number of birds' eggs which were collected at this time ! 

 But from then onwards until we left the country it did not 

 rain ao-ain, and the tender green herbage drooped and 

 withered. When returning to Quelimane the aspect of the 

 country was in extraordinary contrast to what it had been 

 six months before, the one-time marshes being now nothing 

 but bare and uninteresting parched-up ground, bounded by 

 dreary-looking forest and relieved only in a few places along 

 the banks of streams, where the soil was able to retain some 

 moisture, by the; green foliage of some hardiei- species of 

 trees. The effect of this peculiar climate upon bird-life will 

 form the subject of another article which is now in the 

 course of preparation. 



Before proceeding to detail Iho collection, I wish to take 



