vee 
: 
INDICATOR MINOR. 169 
wolves, and so forth? These creatures are not her natural enemies ; 
she would gain nothing by doing it—no advantage whatever; and 
I have ever found that in nature there is nothing done in vain, or 
in an empty purposeless manner. There is always a reason for the 
peculiar habits and actions of birds and animals of all kinds; and 
therefore why should a bird, which does not even rear her own 
young, and has not the-care of a nest, fear or care about these 
animals? Why should the Honey-Guide, unlike all animals, do this 
thing without any reason for doing it ? 
« And again, when the bird has arrived at the nest she intends to 
show, there is an alteration in the notes of her voice. An old bee- 
hunter knows this in an instant, and knows when he ought to 
commence searching for the nest. Now this alteration never takes 
place when animals of various kinds are startled in passing through 
the forest while following the bird. Hence I conclude that she does 
not intend to show where these creatures are, or the alteration in 
her voice would take place.” 
General colour above, brown, with a tinge of yellow on the fore- 
head ; ear-coverts whitish, and beneath them a dark-brown line; 
chin, throat, and neck, yellow, fading into white on the sides, belly, 
and vent; thighs immaculate. The tail, as in I. variegatus, consists 
of twelve feathers, thus marked: first centre pair all brown; second 
pair following, brown, with terminal half of the inner web white; the 
three outer pair, with the tip and outer lower portion of the outer 
web, brown; the outer pair very short. Size similar to that of 
I. variegatus. 
The white rump of this species renders it liable to be mistaken for 
I. sparrmanni, but it may be told at once by its uniform whitish 
flanks which have no brown streaks, by the yellow wash on the head, 
and by the absence of a yellow shoulder patch. 
Fig. Vieill. Gal. Ois. pl. 46. 
152. InpicaTor MrvNor. Little Honey-Guide. 
This little species is by far the best known of the African 
Indicatoride. Victorin obtained his specimens in the Karroo in 
January, and at the Knysna in December. Le Vaillant gives the 
Swartkop and Sunday’s Rivers as other localities, and it probably 
extends all along the south-east coast. 
