MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS .59 



on its master's word, and by many other indications 

 show that it could grasp his meaning. They are most 

 useful birds in a garden, demolishing all insect pests ; 

 but cannot be restrained from immolating little fluffy 

 chickens, which they transfix with their great beaks, 

 toss into the air, and catch neatly in their open mouths. 

 All day they scarcely cease for a moment from uttering a 

 low, monotonous throaty sound, which is quite different 

 from their far-reaching " hoo, hoo." 



There are many other hornbills of several genera, all 

 of which live among the trees. In the eastern Transvaal, 

 the commonest is the Yellow-Billed Hornbill, which has 

 a very easily distinguished call of " tocky tock, tocky 

 tocky tock," rather like the sound of bubbling water. 

 The female makes her nest in a hollow tree, the entrance 

 to which is sealed up by the male, which afterwards 

 conveys to her her daily food through a little hole left 

 for that purpose. The nest is lined with feathers from 

 the breast of the hen, which moults while sitting, and 

 disposes thus of her cast plumage. 



CHAPTER IX 



MISCELLANEOUS BIRDS III 



KINGFISHERS. South Africa is rich in kingfishers, of 

 which some ten different kinds are met with. There is 

 one large species the giant kingfisher which attains 

 a total Jength of nearly eighteen inches. Most kingfishers 

 are brightly plumaged and active little birds, fond of 

 sitting on a branch by the water side, and suddenly 

 darting down into the water at any small fishes 

 which imprudently approach the surface : there are 

 several species, however, which seem to live a good 



