THE LAST JOURNAL OF W. A. FOKBES. 475 



pair of Xenorhynchus stalking about in same fields, now with water let 

 off and rice about a foot high. Down creek in evening, and got a new 

 Phylloscopus in high bush. Saw a pair of Ciconia episcopus flying over 

 creek. 



Dec. 14th, Down to palms in morning; got a Campephaga (?), one 

 of the small Centropus, and three others. Saw a number of what was 

 nearly certainly, from size, colour, and note (which is particularly 

 whirring), Ploceus textor, frequenting the small palms there. Green- 

 shields tells me they do not return to beach till about March, i. e. begin- 

 ning of rains. All those I saw to-day were in female plumage, and for 

 a long time I have seen no full-plumaged males. Comet still visible from 

 about 10 till early morning, much more dim than formerly ; movement 

 from E. to W. Got a number of small fishes in afternoon, chiefly a 

 perch-like form ; amongst them a curious, spotted, small Siluroid, with 

 the two inferior pairs of tentacles branched. 



Dec. 15th. Went into rice-fields in morning, but was nearly murdered 

 by mosquitoes and had to come back soon. Shot in rice-fields a large 

 Centropus, anAcrocephalus turdoides, and a Limnocora&Jfavirostris. Green- 

 shields afterwards shot an Ibis ; and we saw Scopus and a Ciconia epis- 

 copus, each singly, in same flock. In evening down creek and got a 

 Nycticorax europceus in adult dress, but with no long crest-feathers* 

 Saw, going down creek, an antelope (apparently a male Tragelaphus\ a 

 Gull (? Rissa), and a white-winged pale rufous Heron (? Ardea comata). 



Dec. 16th. Rather seedy, with a headache. Went down to palms, 

 and got at last a big Ceryle ; also a Macronyx and a small Drymoeca. 

 Did not go out in evening. 



Dec. 17th. Started about 9 with Greenshields in canoe for an expe- 

 dition down creek into big river (Edou-Tappa-Quorra-Gambari-Oiya- 

 Yagi), getting back about 7.30. In lower part of creek came across 

 Merops bullocki in some numbers, settling in high trees on bank and 

 flying off in regular Bee-eater style ; also shot a Ceryle gigantea (? female 

 or young, very different from others) and one of the Lobivanellus which is Ibi8, 1883, 

 common here and turns out to be albiceps. Went up river towards Rabba P- 5 ^ 

 for some way, and saw plenty of birds on banks about twenty Balearica 

 on one bank, with some Ibises (/. cethiopica), a pair of Chenalopex, and 

 three Spoonbills, one of which I shot, Greenshields getting one of the 

 Geese. Also saw an Osprey, one or two Haliaetus^ and plenty of Gypo- 

 hierax. Saw a couple of monkeys (? Cercopithecus cynosurus or C. griseo- 

 viridis) in bush, and might have had a fine shot at them, but rifle not 

 loaded. Also saw and shot at a single Hippopotamus. Feverish all 

 day. 



Dec. 18th. Slept till 10, and felt much better. "Gunniga" brought 

 in two bush-fowl, chickens, just hatched. They are apparently a Turnix in 

 first plumage. Got a second Cydanosteus ; it has yellow iris. The 



