330 NATURAL HISTORY OF AFRICA 



origin, and may be said to form the most signal and ad- 

 mired feature in the ornithology of that country. 



The superb creeper is an elegant bird, described and 

 figured in the magnificent work of M. Vieillot. Its length 

 is six inches : the crown of the head, upper part of the 

 neck, smaller wing-coverts, back, and rump, are bright 

 greenish-gold ; the throat is violet-blue, glossed with gold ; 

 across the upper part of the breast runs a bar of bright 

 gilded-yellow, beneath which the whole upper parts are 

 deep-brownish crimson ; the wings and tail are blackish- 

 brown ; the legs are also brown, and the bill is black. 

 This species was discovered in Malimba, by M. Perrien, 

 and is one of the rarest as well as most beautiful of the 

 genus. 



Another highly-adorned species, such as 



"Limuers love to paint, and ladies to look upon," 



is called, far excellence, the African creeper. It is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and is found in woody situa- 

 tions. In addition to a splendid plumage, it is highly ad- 

 mired for its musical powers, and its song is by some 

 esteemed equal to that of the nightingale. 



The spotted-breasted creeper ( C. maculata) dwells in the 

 forests of Malimba, and frequently approaches the habita- 

 tions of the natives, allured by the flowers of the cytisus 

 cajan, commonly called the Congo pea, which, according to 

 Dr. Shaw is much cultivated by the negroes. The violet- 

 headed creeper (C violacea) is a native of the Cape of Good 

 Hope. It likewise dwells in woods, and is said to build a 

 nest of singularly elegant and ingenious structure. Our re- 

 stricted limits will not admit of our expatiating on this de- 

 lightful tribe. 



The next African genus which claims our attention is 

 Meraps, which includes the bee-eaters, a group not more 

 remarkable for beauty of colour than gracefulness of form. 

 These birds feed on insects, and build their nests in the 

 holes of banks. The common bee-eater {Merops apiastcr)y 

 notwithstanding its designation, is one of the rarest of Eu- 

 ropean birds, and is certainly one of the most beautiful. It 

 occurs in Africa, and spreads from thence into Greece and 

 the Mediterranean Archipelago. Many other species of 



