316 TEXTOR ALBIROSTRIS 



very common and was not met with further north than 1G° N. 

 lat., and he informs us that it breeds in colonies of from three 

 to eighteen nests, each 3 or 4 feet in diameter, inchiding the 

 surrounding structure of thorny twigs and small branches, 

 loosely arranged, giving the structure the appearance of a 

 thick bristly bush ; on one side, usually to the westward, is 

 the entrance, which at the mouth is wide enough to admit a 

 man's fist quite easily, but gradually diminishes to just suffi- 

 cient size to allow the bird to pass. The interior of each nest 

 is lined with fine rootlets and grass. During the nesting 

 season these birds are exceedingly noisy and may be heard at 

 a great distance, and he whites : " During a few minutes I 

 spent under a tree I wrote down the following sounds. One of 

 the male birds began : Ti, tl, terr, ferr, terr, zerr,zaili; another 

 answered Gai, gai, zn'i ; a third uttered the sounds, Guile, guile, 

 guk, guk, gai ; others screamed, Gu, gu, gu, yu, gai, and a few 

 listened intently. They behaved like a swarm of bees. Some 

 came, others went, and it seemed almost as if all the grown 

 fledglings had also collected on the tree, for the large number 

 of birds did not correspond to the few nests. The flight is 

 very easy and hovering, marked by slow flapping of the wings. 

 The wings are carried very high. Its run is quick and nimble, 

 and the bird is also an adept in climbing." Heuglin remarked 

 that he did not meet with it at any great height in the moun- 

 tains, but observed it near the Anseba River at Barka, on the 

 Mareb as far up as Serawi, in Sennaar, Kordofan, and the 

 White Nile up to the Sobat River. He found them breeding 

 from July to September. The trees once resorted to for 

 breeding are used for several years. The massive nest 

 structures are heaped upon forks and horizontal boughs some 

 15 to 30 feet from the ground, and are from 5 to 8 feet in 

 length and 3 to 4 feet broad, where from three to eight pairs 

 breed, each forming their own dwelling, like Sparrows in the 



