200 EASTERN ETHIOPIA xv 



Shrikes are numerous throughout the Ethiopian 

 Region, and there are many species, due probably to 

 the abundance of dense thorny thickets in which these 

 birds live and which afford admirable protection to 

 their nests. A shrike perched on the topmost twig, or 

 at the end of a long projecting bough, of a leafless thorn 

 tree, keeping a keen look-out, is a characteristic feature 

 of the Nyika. Two particularly interested me. On the 

 morning after our arrival at Lake Nakuru I was 

 astonished to hear a call exactly like that of the Bell- 

 bird (Cotinga), loud and clear like the sound of a 

 hammer striking a ringing blow on an anvil. It was a 

 long time before I could get these birds identified. 

 One is a bush shrike, which Speke called the " Black 

 metal-toned Whistler," and the other is the ./Ethiopian 

 Bush Shrike (Laniarius cethiopicus), sometimes called 

 the Organ Shrike. They inhabit the undergrowth, and 

 though plentiful are shy and rarely seen. It is stated 

 that organ shrikes pair for life. Many bush shrikes 

 make weird noises, arid as they have the habit of 

 sneaking away in the bush, it is often hard to recognise 

 the author of a particular noise or call. 



When these shrikes produce the bell sound, they 

 reply to each other from distant points with such 

 exactitude and in such quick succession that the calls 

 seem to be uttered by one bird. (Bohm.) This has a 

 peculiar ventriloquistic effect when the listener is 

 unaware that the sounds are produced by two birds. 

 The bell-like note uttered by these shrikes has left a 

 deep and ineffaceable impression on my memory. 



