20 STUENID^E BUPHAGA 



the natural hollow of a tree. On a foundation of straws and pieces 

 of dried grass a thick pad of hairs is formed, and on this four or 

 five very pale bluish-white eggs are deposited. They average 

 1-15 X 0-90. 



vf-^-t 



<L<L> /7^ft^> 



5. Buphaga erythrorhyncha. Bed-billed Ox-pecker. 



Tanagra erythrorhyncha, Stanley in Salt's Voy. Abyss. App. p. 59 



(1814). 

 Buphaga erythrorhyncha, Temm. PI. Col. ii, pi. 465 (1828) ; Layard, 



B. S. Afr. p. 175 (1867) ; Holub and Pelzeln, Orn. Sildafr. p. 150, 



fig. (1882) ; Sharpe, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 420, 846 (1884) ; 



id. Cat. B. M. xiii, p, 196 (1890) ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 41 (1896). 

 " Tick Bird" of South African Colonists. 

 " Camel Bird " of the Somalis. 



Description. Adult Male. Above, crown and upper surface of 

 body brown ; lesser and middle wings-coverts like the back; rest 

 of wing and tail-feathers darker brown ; sides of face, neck, and 

 throat brown shading into brownish-yellow on the breast and buff- 

 yellow on the lower breast, abdomen and under tai] -coverts ; 

 axillaries, under wing-coverts, and under surface of quills brown. 



Iris red; bill entirely red; eyelids yellow; feet dusky-brown. 



Length 8-50 ; wing 4-75 ; tail 410 ; tarsus 0-80 ; culmen 0-70. 



Adult Female. Resembles the male in plumage. 



Young. Duller than the adults in colour ; the bill brown. 



Distribution. The greater part of the Ethiopian Region; but 

 more abundant on the east coast. Not found in Cape Colony, 

 - Great Namaqua, or Damara Land, but occurs in Benguela. Very 

 abundant on the coast of Natal, and gradually extending its range 

 inland ; equally common in Zululand and Portuguese East Africa, 

 ranging northwards to Somaliland and Abyssinia. Somewhat local 

 in the Transvaal and Rhodesia. 



Habits. The Red-billed is the common " Tick Bird " on the 

 coast of Natal and East Africa, its place further inland being taken 

 to a large extent by its congener, Buphaga africana. In the lower 

 part of Natal it is resident, and in pastoral districts is nearly always 

 to be seen in small flocks, either seated on the backs of oxen or 

 horses, climbing, woodpecker-like, over their sides, or flying round 

 them with harsh cries resembling those of the European Missel 

 Thrush. Occasionally they perch on trees, seldom or never on the 

 ground ; Livingstone, however, states that he met with this species, 



