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THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FOKBES. 469 



Percine form. In afternoon caught a few butterflies &c. and a very fine 

 bug in life straw-colour, with Veronese-green spots and red sinuous 

 line on prothorax. 



Nov. 16th. Went out in morning along footpath at base of hills to 

 near bush on creek. Got four or five new birds, including a Parrot, 

 apparently PoeocepTialus rufiventris, and saw more ; also one or two 

 Acrocephalus turdoides (in bushy part) , a Drymoeca (? new), and Estrelda 

 cinerea. Also saw Euplectes oryx in flocks with last, Euplectes francis- 

 canus, Urobrachya macroura, Hypliantornis personatus, Spermestes cucuttata, 

 &c. ; all Euplectes oryx out of full colour, apparently moulting, whereas Ibis, 1883, 

 many E. franciscanus in full plumage. Shot a ragged female, same as 

 male, some still in yellow-and-black dress. Also got a Crithagra 

 chrysopyga. Got a good-sized Clarias and another Siluroid, also a large- 

 scaled barbel-like fish, from natives. 



Nov. 17th. Einished-off Parrot in morning ; put fresh spirit in tins 

 &c. In evening went down to bush and palm-groves, where I saw many 

 birds Colius, Hornbills, Kingfishers, Ibis, &c. ; but all out of shot, and 

 only got a ragged (moulting) Weaver-bird of a species new and unknown 

 to me, with black crown and broad rufous eyebrows (ptil. hyem.). The 

 note of the Ixos usually is a mellow whistle of two notes, the second 

 stronger and more pronounced. Tree on beach with Palm-birds' nests 

 now quite deserted, and Greenshields says young flown. This, taken 

 with other facts (HypJiantornis personatus), looks as if Weaver-birds bred 

 during wet season (cf. Abutschi), moult into non-breeding dress, and take 

 to fields in flocks. Greenshields got me a nice living Cyclanosteiis from 

 the natives. 



Nov. 18th. Down to palm-groves early. Got some good birds, three 

 new, Cossypha albicapilla, Aiidropadus sp. ?, and Anthus pratensis, 

 another species, the doubtful Weaver, the fine Nectarinia, and Criniger 

 gularis, and saw many others Poeocephalus, Palceornis and Agapornis 

 (both in some numbers), Colius, Irrisor, a pair of a Musophaga, the 

 striolated Halcyon (? one at Abutschi), the rufous-fronted Timelia, &c. 

 &c. The Ibis is, I believe, falcinellus after all. I saw a Coly clinging 

 to tree-trunk (a vertical palm-stem) just like a Woodpecker, one of which, 

 also of a species not seen before, was just above it. Both Irrisor and 

 Colius are very wary, keeping just in front of you out of shot, and flying 

 from one palm-crown to another. I rather thought I recognized a fourth 

 Parrot, a Pceocephalus of the meyeri lot, but too far away to be certain of. 

 Greenshields got me a nice Muraenoid fish (about 30 inches), with very 

 small eyes. Skinned birds all day. Greenshields went down to palms 

 in evening, but only got an Ixos. 



Nov. 19th. Down to palm-groves in morning. Got two new birds Ibis 

 (Pyrenestes ostrinus c? and two ^Ejialitis tricollaris) in rice-fields, where P ' * 

 there was also another Wader with white tail ; also shot a Drymoecu and 



