80 BUPHAGA EliYTHRORHYNCHA 



free from ticks, were in the habit of driuking blood from sores 

 which they kept open for that purpose behind the ears. Their 

 nests also were lined entirely with hairs pulled from the 

 donkey's coat ; in collecting these the birds showed a certain 

 amount of ingenuity, the individual hairs as they were pulled 

 out being placed end to end on the donkey's back until neat 

 bundles were accumulated, as large as they could conveniently 

 carry ; these were then carried to their nests under the roof 

 of a house. In unsettled districts these birds build in the 

 holes of trees, but in more civilised parts usually under the 

 roofs of houses. The nest is an untidy structure of straw and 

 grass lined with the hair of various animals. The eggs, three 

 to five in number, are of a uniform pale bluish-white colour. 

 They average 1'1'J x 0"8r)." According to Major Sparrow, 

 " This species also nests in stone walls, and the eggs are of 

 a white ground covered with dark pink spots and blotches. 

 It nests from November to January." 



In Zululand the Messrs. Woodward observe ( " Ibis," 1877, 

 p. 410) : " Numerous here, and were a great luiisance to one 

 of the beasts who had a bad sore ; " and further remark : 

 " The cow seems to recognise the Ox-pecker as a friend, rather 

 encouraging its attentions tha;n otherwise." 



The species is abundant and very generally distributed 

 throughout the eastern half of Tropical and South Africa ; it 

 is represented in the British Museum from Durban, Pinetown, 

 Olifant River, Swaziland, Mpimbi, Machako's, Kitui, Eow- 

 wah, Gedais, Gourabourta, AngoUala, Anseba, Senafe, Maragaz 

 and Ailet, and has also been recorded from some fifty inter- 

 mediate stations along this line and the Nile valley. 



According to Dr. Stuhlmann, the species is known by the 

 natives at Karogwe, near Pangaui, as the " Tschassi," and 

 Mr. Lort Phillips mentions " Hoorie " as its Somali name. 

 Speke found them common in Somahland, and wrote: "They 



II 



