510 LANIARIUS GUTTATUS 
by Singuni people. He writes “‘ I found several nests of these 
birds in November; these were placed at from about 4 to 7 feet 
from the ground and without any attempt at concealment. 
They were constructed externally chiefly of roots, but these 
were usually intermixed with a few dry herb-stems, in one or 
two cases a little grass or a strip of bark. They were lined 
entirely with reddish-brown roots, compactly arranged, or 
the midribs of some pinnate leaf. Hxternal diameter of nest 
4:0 to 5'1 inches. Diameter of cup about 3 inches and depth 
0°8 to 1°4. The eggs are always two in number, pale greenish 
blue or white, very faintly tinged with greenish blue, with 
spots and blotches of violet-grey and various shades of brown.” 
There is a good deal of variation in the markings and they 
measure from 0'9 to 10 x O'7 to 0°75. Swynnerton does not 
mention that they attack other small birds, but from an 
examination of their crops believes that their food consists 
mostly of beetles with other insects. 
The following is a list of the localities from which there 
are examples of this species in the British Museum :-— 
German Hast Africa—Royuma River (Thomson); Nyasa- 
land—Zomba, Milanji, Chiromo, Kombe-Masuka (Whyte), 
Kasungu, Chikala, Ikala, S$. Angoniland (Sharpe); Zambesi 
river—-Kafue to Chicowa (Alexander), Tete and Shupanga 
(Kirk), Tete (Grant); Portuguese Hast Africa—Beira (Grant) ; 
S. Rhodesia—Gazaland (Swynnerton), Sabakwe River (Clarke), 
Makalaka country (Bradshaw); Belgian Congo—Kambove 
and Bunkeya River in Katanga (Neave). 
Laniarus guttatus. 
Dryoscopus guttatus, Hartl. P. Z. 8. 1865, p. 86 Benguella; Gadow, Cat. 
B. M. viii. p. 137 (1883). 
Laniarus guttatus, Shelley, B. Afr. i. p. 726 (1896); Sharpe Handl. iv. 
p. 294 (1903). 
Laniarius major guttatus, Reichen. Vog. Afr. ii. p. 580 (1903). 
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