Birds of Gazaland, Southern Rhodesia. 33 
of many of their customs and traditions by the Aba-ndawe. 
Thus most of the men (since they had to appear at court), and 
the women to a less extent, now speak two languages, with 
the result that every bird—at least those which they trouble 
to differentiate at all—has two names, both usually ono- 
matopcetic, and sometimes two sets of traditions and two or 
more renderings of the call-notes. It thus, too, comes about 
that some species are now best, if not exclusively, known by 
their Singuni, others still by their T'shindawe name. 
““Mafusi,” a locality which I shall have occasion to 
mention again, lies between the heights of Chirmda, Mounts 
Maruma and Mpengo, with their continuation north-east to 
the Lusitu to the east, and the rocky Sitatonga range, a 
good day’s walk further east, and is bounded on the north 
and south by the Lusitu and Buzi respectively. It is ruled 
by Mafusi, Makwiana, and other chiefs, and consists for the 
most part of a network of low, “ Jihu”-covered hills, 
drained by the Tchikamboge, Umshanetzi, Musesi, and 
other streams. Practically it is a north-eastern extension of 
the Jihu, and varies from 2000 to 3000 feet in elevation, 
though a certain amount of high veld with an altitude of 
4000 feet is included init. It contains small patches of true 
forest and is particularly rich in bird-life. I made a small 
collection there in 1899. The greater part of Mafusi, as 
well as of the Jihu and the valley of the Lower Umswirezi, 
lies on the Portuguese side of the border. 
I have not had time to take up the study of nidification 
properly, but the majority of the few species of which I 
have observed the nesting-habits belong to our most in- 
teresting group, that of the “birds of the forest.”? House- 
keeping must be somewhat up-hill work for them in 
Chirmda. Time after time nests which I have been 
watching have been destroyed, the spoor of the baboon below 
revealing the identity of the culprit, and it is really 
wonderful that the smaller forest-birds keep up their 
numbers 1a the face of this systematic destruction. Squirrels 
too, which are abundant in Chirinda, are doubtless re- 
sponsible for a good deal of damage, and | have occasionally 
SER, IX.—VOL. I. D 
