178 BIRDS OF SOUTH APRICA. 
160. TRACHYPHONUS CAFER. Le Vaillant’s Barbet. 
Capito vaillantii, Layard, B. 8. Afr. p. 235. 
This singularly coloured bird is chiefly found in the interior of 
South-eastern Africa. It was procured at Kurrichaine by the late 
Sir Andrew Smith during his expedition into Central Africa, and 
was named by him Pollysticte quopopo, this being, as Dr. Exton 
informs us, the Bechuana name for “ Woodpecker.” It has also been 
recorded as having been obtained by the Mm. Verreaux in Mosili- — 
katze’s country, but Dr. Exton informs us again that this means the 
Marico or Mariqua district, on the borders of the Transvaal, from 
which Mosilikatze was formerly ejected by the Boers, and is not the 
present Matabilicountry. It is, however, found in the latter locality, 
as Dr. Exton obtained examples near Kanye. Mr. Ayres shot one 
specimen “ amongst the trees on the banks of the river Limpopo, 
where it was apparently a solitary bird: the stomach contained 
insects and fruits.” Mr. Buckley writes, “This species is very 
common north of Pretoria, all along the Limpopo river; but I did 
not observe it beyond Bamangwato. It creeps along the boughs of 
the trees like a Woodpecker, for which I often mistook it; it is by 
no means a shy bird.””? Mr. F. A. Barratt procured his specimens in 
the bush under the mountains at Rustenberg, and it certainly occurs 
in the Zambesi district as Dr. Kirk obtained specimens at Tete 
during the Livingstone expedition. It has also been found by Senor 
Anchieta at Huilla in Mossamedes. 
Dr. Exton writes, “The note of this bird is a continuous trill, 
somewhat resembling the quick ‘tap, tap, tap, of Dendrobates,’ 
when at work on a decayed tree. I obtained three specimens by 
following the sound from tree to tree. When calling, they usually 
perch on the uppermost twig, and their peculiar jerk of the body 
whilst producing the sound, can then be visibly distinguished. The 
female has the same note as the male. In a fresh specimen the bill 
is greenish-yellow, tipped with black: iris, reddish-brown ; gizzard 
contained berries, and shreds of leaves; that of the female only 
contained shreds of leaves.” 
The following good description of the bird is extracted from 
Messrs. Marshall’s Monograph, 
Al 
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