-+> Fauna: Birds 



advance of the grey parrot westwards from the Gold Coast into 

 the domain of its dull-coloured relation, Psittacus timneh. 



The only other parrot that has as yet been recorded from 

 Liberia is the pretty little West African love-bird (Agapornis 

 swindereniana). 



Amongst the Owls is a small reddish brown Eagle Owl 

 Bubo lettii discovered by Biittikofer, and possibly peculiar in its 

 range to Liberia. There are two other eagle owls found in 

 this country, chiefly grey in plumage Bubo cinerascens and 

 B. leucostictus. 



Amongst the Rollers may be mentioned as a common and a 

 beautiful bird Eurystomus gularis, called by the Americo-Liberians 

 " the daytime bat," as it pursues insects through the air with 

 open mouth. The allied species, R. afer, is also found in this 

 country. My coloured illustration opposite p. 786, will give 

 some idea of the bright colours of these birds, which are so 

 commonly met with in many parts of West and Central Africa. 



The Kingfishers are well represented here, but not as yet by 

 any species peculiar to Liberia. Those which are most frequently 

 seen by the riversides are the Great kingfisher (Ceryle maxima), 

 and the very pretty Alee do quadribrachys, with its black beak, 

 rose-coloured feet, and beautiful contrasts of deep ultramarine, 

 purple, cream-white, and chestnut-red. The grey, blue, green, 

 brown, chestnut-coloured Halcyon kingfishers, with long red 

 beaks, frequent the bush rather than the waterside, and live on 

 insects chiefly. These birds are very common in the environs 

 of Monrovia. They are of largish size for a kingfisher from 

 eight to nine inches long. The Crested kingfisher (Corythornis) 

 is smaller, a brilliant little bird of emerald, ultramarine, and 

 cobalt above with chestnut below. The small Ispidina kingfishers 

 are ultramarine and black above, white and orange-tinged-with- 

 lilac below, with red beaks. 



779 



