GOLD COAST 207 
chased by two smaller birds flashed in front of me, and settled on 
the ground. When it rose again, to hawk insects, I realized what it 
was. In the breeding season the male bird of this species develops a 
long bare shaft-like plume in each wing in place of an ordinary 
flight-feather, at the end of which is a feathery vane. This in all is 
about eighteen inches long, so when the bird is in flight the rush 
of air causes the vanes, which trail well behind, to twist and turn. 
The effect is enhanced by the fact that the bird itself is always 
wheeling while catching insects. As the shaft cannot be seen at a 
distance, it gives the bird the appearance of being pursued. 
One of the most distressing sights we saw while in our riverside 
bungalow was that of fowls being transported along the nearby 
road. Almost daily a native lorry passed on its way from the north- 
ern territories to Kumasi, carrying merchandise and baggage. On 
this sat numerous native passengers, and wherever there was space 
on top, or even tied to the sides or back of the lorry, were baskets 
of fowls on their way to the capital to be sold. The baskets were 
made of widely spaced cane and offered no protection whatever 
from the relentless sun. The birds were invariably badly over- 
crowded and were obviously in great distress. 
Throughout Africa fowls, as kept by the natives, have a some- 
what wretched existence. In the first place they are never fed, so 
they are forced to find their own living in the way of insects, seeds, 
etc. When a native decides to sell a few fowls, he may walk all day 
in the tropical sun with the birds tied by the legs, hanging head 
downwards and fastened to a stave by which he carries them. On 
arrival at a village the helpless creatures are put on the ground in 
a bunch, and there they stay until the owner has satisfied his own 
hunger and thirst and is ready to move on; no thought is ever 
given to the plight of the luckless birds. 
To facilitate the trapping of birds in the riverside foliage I hired 
a native canoe which enabled me to set nets in the overhanging 
creepers and branches. Many of these creepers formed natural 
archways through which Malachite, Pygmy and Shining Blue 
Kingfishers could be seen darting to and fro, making a most de- 
lightful scene. Being particularly keen on getting that gem of a 
