Chap. V. THE PAPA-UIEA. 335 



The bustling crowd loses no time, and although movino- 

 in concert, each bird is occupied, on its own account, in 

 searching bark or leaf or twig ; the barbets visiting every 

 clayey nest of termites on the trees which lie in the line 

 of march. In a few minutes the host is gone, and the 

 forest path remains deserted and silent as before. I 

 became, in course of time, so accustomed to this habit 

 of birds in the woods near Ega, that I could generally 

 find the flock of associated marauders whenever I 

 wanted it. There appeared to be only one of these 

 flocks in each small district ; and, as it traversed chiefly 

 a limited tract of woods of second growth, I used to 

 try different paths until I came up with it. 



The Indians have noticed these miscellaneous hunting 

 parties of birds, but appear not to have observed that 

 they are occupied in searching for insects. They have 

 supplied their want of knowledge, in the usual way 

 of half-civilised people, by a theory which has de- 

 generated into a myth, to the effect that the onward 

 moving bands" are led by a little grey bird, called the 

 Papa-uira, which fascinates all the rest, and leads them 

 a weary dance through the thickets. There is certainly 

 some appearance of truth in this explanation ; for some- 

 times stray birds, encountered in the line of march, are 

 seen to be drawn into the throng, and purely frugivorous 

 birds are now and then found mixed up with the rest, as 

 though led away by some will-o'-the-wisp. The native 

 women, even the white and half-caste inhabitants of the 

 towns, attach a superstitious value to the skin and 

 feathers of the Papa-uira, believing that if they keep 

 them in their clothes' chest, the relics will have the 



