THE HONEY GUIDES. 



329 



The Cuckoo is a well-known bird at the Cape of Good Hope during the English winter, and specimens 

 are in the national collection. It is much rarer on the west coast of Africa, but was shot by Governor 

 Ussher near Cape Coast Castle, evidently on migration. The main route of the birds visiting the 

 Cape in winter is, however, evidently down the Nile Valley and along the east coast to the Cape 

 Colony and South Africa generally. A second line of migration extends to India, and it probably 

 goes further, and has been found in the island of Celebes. In Asia, however, and Australia, there are 

 several species of Cuckoo, very like the English bird, but smaller and differing in voice, which have 

 not been sufficiently studied to enable one to say whether they are actually distinct or not. 



The Cuckoo when adult is ashy-grey, with a white breast, barred across with narrow lines of 

 greyish-black ; the tail is long, barred with white on the outer feathers, and spotted with white on the 

 centre ones ; the bill is black, with a little yellow at the gape and at the base of the lower mandible ; 

 the' feet and the eye .are yellow; the length of the bird is about thirteen inches. The female is a 

 trifle smaller, and has the chest slightly tinged with rufous. The young bird is quite different, being 

 blackish, mottled with yellow and grey, and having a good deal of white about the hind neck. Rarely 

 in England, but more often on the Continent, the Cuckoo is red instead of grey, and this is called 

 the "hepatic" plumage. It is found also in Owls, Goatsuckers, and a few other birds, and exists 

 in almost all the true Cuckoos. 



THE THIRD FAMILY OF THE ZYGODACTYLE PICARIAN BIRDS. 

 THE HONEY GUIDES (Indicatondfe) . 



These constitute a small family of Scansorial birds allied to the Cuckoos, and, like the latter, they 

 are parasitic, and lay their eggs in other birds' nests. Eleven species are known, of Avhich eight are 

 peculiar to Africa, one is found in the Himalaya Mountains, one in the Malayan Peninsula, and one 

 in Borneo. The Asiatic members 

 of the group are extremely rare, and 

 our knowledge of the habits of these 

 birds is derived from a study of the 

 African species : so that it is not 

 yet known whether the Asiatic 

 Honey Guides deserve the name of 

 Indicator, which is applied to the 

 birds on account of their being 

 " indicators," or " pointers out," of 

 Bees' nests containing honey. Dr. 

 Kirk thus described their habits in 

 the Zambesi district : " The Honey 

 Guide is found in forests, and often 

 far from water, even during the 

 dry season. On observing a man, 

 it comes fluttering from branch to 

 branch in the neighbouring trees, 

 calling attention. If this be re- 

 sponded to as the natives do by 

 whistling and starting to their feet 

 the bird will go in a certain 

 direction, and remain at a little 

 distance, hopping from one tree to 

 another. On being followed, it 

 goes farther; and so it will guide the way to a nest of Bees. When this is reached, it flies 

 about, but no longer guides ; and then some knowledge is required to discover the nest, even 

 when pointed out to within a few trees. I have known this bird, if the man, after taking up the 

 direction for a little, then turns away, come back and offer to point out another nest in a different 

 part. But if it does not know of two nests, it will remain behind. The difficulty is that it will 



HONEY GUIDE. (After Keulemans.) 



