HONEY-GUIDES 161 



shoulder ; ear-coverts white, rest of cheek and throat 

 black in the male, the latter white in the female ; rest 

 of vmder-surface dirty white. Length about 7j- inches. 



It is widely spread all over the African Continent, but 

 is nowhere exactly common within our borders. 



It is thoroughly parasitic in its habits ; we have taken 

 its egg from the nest of the White-throated Swallow 

 (Hirundo albigularis), and from the nest-hole of the 

 Wood Hoopoe (Irrisor viridis). The egg is oval in 

 shape, and pure creamy-white in colour (see centre 

 figure, Eow III., Plate 87.). 



The Yellow- throated Honey-guide (Indicator major] 

 is olive-brown above, the rump region being white ; ear- 

 coverts black ; throat and breast yellow, the rest of the 

 under-surface being creamy-white. Length 7 inches. 



This species is also found in most of the Bush and 

 Forest Regions of South Africa, and is not uncommon 

 in the neighbourhood of Grahamstown. Here Mrs 

 Barber observed it using the nest-hole of the Black- 

 collared Barbet. We found an egg in the nest of a 

 Drongo-shrike in November, 1894. The bird usually- 

 according to our experience makes use of the nest-hole 

 of the Pied Starling. It seems as if the Honey-guides 

 occasionlly break the eggs of the foster-parent, to make 

 room for their own. In row 2, left centre figure, we 

 give an illustration of the smaller egg of the Honey- 

 guide, along with a clutch of Spreo bicolor, two of which 

 are badly smashed. 



The Scaly-throated Honey-guide (Indicator variegatus) 



has the forehead mottled, rest of head and neck greenish 



merging into a bright olive on the back ; throat white 



streaked with black ; breast yellowish mottled with 



11 



