468 THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FORBES. 



Nov. llth. Got a Siluroid from natives, about 2 feet long, and a small 

 Protopterus (" Addo"). Skinned the Owl, which took best part of the 

 day. In afternoon went up left arm of creek in canoe. Got a large 

 Epomopliorus (? monstrosus), of which there were considerable flocks, 

 disturbed out of bordering trees, mixed with the orange-winged species. 

 Of birds, got a Laniarius barbarus. Ceryle rudis, and a small masked 

 Ploceus. This species swarms all round the creeks in reeds and long 

 grass ; but all the flocks consist of females or males in olive plumage, 

 with a few males not quite in full colour (are these moulting from, or 

 changing to, full dress?), vide a skin procured. Saw an Ardetta 

 (minuta ?) in full dress. 



Nov. 12th. Three Ibises passed in morning. They % like Cranes, 

 with outstretched necks, and are very noisy on wing. Note, two long 

 followed by three short, uttered in a bleating sort of way. Balearica 

 says " quack, quack" in a very resonant trumpeting way. In evening 

 went up left arm of creek again. Shot a young Sdxicola (? rubetra} at 

 landing-place, and in creek a Merops nubicus, Halcyon senegalensis, a 

 Plotus, and a Phalacrocoraoc africanus, of which I saw four or five in the 

 trees. Swarms of Merops again ; besides, saw a very fine red-white-and- 

 blue Halcyon, and a large white bird (I think a Pelican), Haliaetus vocifer, 

 Gypoliieracc, Ibis Tiagedash, &c. 



Nov. 13th. Dissected the stomach of the Plotus. Just as in the first, 



Ibis, 1883, no V-shaped " ridge," except that the proventricular patches, particularly 



p. 524. On6) are ra j- ner elevated marginally. Pish (all small and transfixed) in 



stomach, with nematodes, and many taeniae. Eemade all cartridges. 



Greenshields shot a Halcyon senegalensis close to new factory. Saw an 



adult Ardea atricollis in rice-fields opposite. Did not go out in evening. 



Nov. 14th. Went out about 6.30 on hills behind factory towards town, 

 but only got another Whinchat and two Merops nubicus, which was in 

 numbers on two or three trees. Saw a fine pair of a red-headed grey- 

 backed Falco (? rujicollis) and a flock of apparently Foudia erythrops, but 

 only one was in colour, and that flew. Got two fine Malapterurus and a 

 Percine form from natives. In evening went down creek, but only got 

 a Halcyon (dryas ?) and a Lacerta ; the latter caught in canoe. " Plogging 

 palaver " in evening. Saw a single Palceornis in creek. 



Nov. 15th. Started about 6.30 A.M. in canoe, and went up left arm of 

 creek. Unlucky ; only got a Jagana and a small Warbler, apparently 

 Acrocephalus arundinaceus. Saw a Plectropterus, Emblema rufopicta, 

 Limnocorax, several Ardea purpurea, Laniarius, an Oriole, Ceryle gigantea, 

 seven young Nycticorax (? europceus\ and four Irrisor (apparently Irrisor 

 pusillus), &c., &c., three together, but all unfortunately out of shot. 

 They fly with tail stretched out straight behind. Saw two Balearica, 

 each perched on top of a tree answering each other. Greenshields got 

 my gun "fixed" again safely. Got six half-grown examples of the 



