Birds of Gazaland, Southern Rhodesia. 73 
the loud and varied cries of its near relative, Dicrurus afer, 
and quite takes its place in Chirinda as the ‘‘ Induna yezin- 
yone,” for not only will it fearlessly defend the rights of its 
own followers, but is also perfectly ready to play the knight- 
errant to any forest-damsel in distress. Only the other day, 
on going up to a sapling in which a Haplopelia was sitting 
on her eggs, I was vigorously assailed by a pair of Drongos, 
one of which flew straight at my face, and only turned back 
when within a yard of me: they were backed, with noise 
rather than action, by a family-party of Bulbuls. Yet the 
Doves are not of the Drongo clan! At the same time, as I 
have already pointed out, the forest Drongo, however willing, 
can be of little actual service to his followers, for they are 
already well-protected from hawks. The stomachs examined 
contained beetles, diptera (large and small), and other 
insects. 
86. CampopHaca niGRA. Black Cuckoo-Shrike. 
I secured a female, of which the ovary contained a fairly- 
advanced egg, in November last, on the Lower Umswirezi. 
It was sitting quietly in a large shady thorn-tree near the 
river; and I had the good fortune to bring down a specimen 
of Chrysococcyx klaasi with the same shot. The stomach 
contained the débris of small insects. 
87. GraucaLus prcroratis. Black - chested Cuckoo - 
Shrike. 
By no means an uncommon bird in the open woods, and 
an occasional visitor to the outskirts of Chirinda. 
88. Hrrunvo pimiprata. Pearl-breasted Swallow. 
Fairly common throughout the year. A Swallow of any 
species, charred and ground to powder, is still looked on by 
the natives as a most powerful charm; and in the fighting- 
days of a few years ago these birds were much sought after 
by the young Manguni warriors, the ashes, rubbed into cuts 
in the knees, being supposed to impart extraordinary swiftness 
and endurance, and at the same time a charmed life and 
