78 Mr. E. Lort Pliiilips on Birds 



may have been simply resting during the general migration 

 which seemed to be taking place. I have called them 

 *' Camel-birds/^ as their flight and cry forcibly remind one 

 of the Camel-bird, Buphaga trythrorhyncha ; but I have 

 never actually seen them feeding on the camels' backs, 

 though I am nearly sure I saw them perched on the 

 grazing cattle in 1885. The curious yellow fleshy excres- 

 cence around the eyes gives them a very " uncanny " ap- 

 pearance. 



22. EuROCEPHALus RUEPPELLi, Bp. ; ShcUcy, Ibis, 1886, 

 p. 303. 



These birds are fairly numerous in the thickly-wooded 

 districts, their white rumps making them very conspicuous 

 when on the wing. Early in March I watched a pair for 

 some time busily engaged on a nearly-completed nest, which 

 was, for such large birds, a miracle of ingenuity. It was 

 built almost entirely of spiders' webs with a foundation of 

 moss, and looked like a magnified nest of a Humming-bird. 

 It was stuck against the side of a tallish tree, about 12 feet 

 from the ground, and at a little distance could scarcely be 

 distinguished from the bark. 



23. Hypolais languida (H. & E.) ; Seebohm, Cat. B. 

 Brit. Mus. V. p. 80 (1881). 



Of this species only one was seen, which was shot near 

 Berbera on Feb. 1st. 



24. Merula ludovici^. (Plate IL) 



Merula ludovicice, Lort Phillips, Bull. B. O. C. iv. p. xxxvi ; 

 Ibis, 1895, p. 383. 



I was delightfully reminded of our English Blackbird when 

 I first saw an example of this new species. It was early 

 morning, the bushes and grass were glistening with dew, 

 and under a gigantic cedar I caught sight of a dark grey 

 bird with yellow bill and feet hunting for worms in the truly 

 orthodox manner, whilst on the topmost bough another was 

 pouring forth his morning song. I watched them for some 

 time and then continued my way, as I only had my rifle 

 with me. It was, however, some days before I was able to 



