Birds of Madagascar. 419 



are not frequently seen except in flocks. A little twittering is 

 first heard, one or two birds are seen, and then, in a few 

 minutes, one is surrounded by a large number appearing as 

 if by magic. The same thing has been noticed by others. 

 But the strange thing about it is that ' birds not of a feather 

 flock together,' I have seen as many as twenty or thii'ty 

 birds, of six or seven diflerent species, all travelling in the 

 same company. Can this be for mutual defence ?^'* 



The people who live near the upper line of the eastern forest 

 say that many of the birds come up from the lower and 

 warmer and more extensive line of forest as the summer ap- 

 proaches, but return as the season grows colder. 



Before proceeding to notice separately each family of this 

 Order, another extract or two may be given from a traveller's 

 journal, showing the variety of birds to be seen in some 

 localities. In a pamphlet called 'The Bkra Land,' by the 

 Rev. W. Deans Cowan, the valley of the Iskhambangana is 

 thus described : — This valley " is one of the finest in this 

 part of the country. It is now here more than three or four 

 miles wide, and with its large river and many streams flowing 

 into it from all sides, with its strips and patches of wood, its 

 stretches of grass and its marshes, it is a pleasant valley, 

 , pleasant to the traveller, and a paradise to the naturalist." 

 " I took my way down to the shady banks of a small stream 

 flowing east to the river. Birds were in plenty : Black 

 Parrots; the Fork -tailed Shrike {Raildmbo) poured out its 

 varied song of mimicry from the topmost branches; the 

 White-browed Warbler {Fitatrdla) sung his sweetest, whilst 

 Doves sat silent in the branches over the water. The King- 

 fisher sat motionless on his favourite perch, and the Sand- 

 piper {Fand/iafasika) was bobbing along the sand-reaches. 

 The Oriole, the Wagtail, the Hoopoe, and a large bird like a- 

 Shrike were there; even the small Sun-bird {Anatsby) darted 

 from place to place, his bright colours sparkling in the light. 

 In about half an hour I had picked out and obtained the 

 specimens I wanted,, among which was a small Owl, very 

 dark brown with white spots — it was new to me [Ninox su- 

 * ' Antananarivo Annual,' vi.. p. 85. 



