EAST AFRICAN BIRDS. 851 



CORTTHORNIS CYANOSTIGMA Riipp. 



Malachite Kingfishei-. A nest of young ones was found in the 

 rivei'-bank at Morogoro (1917). 



Halcyon leucocephala Vieill. 



Brown-bellied Kingfisher. Having just stepped out of my 

 tent to walk across to my grass-hut one morning, I heard a 

 screech and a shrill whistling cry. There was a rush of small 

 birds about me, and I was just in time to see a South African 

 Lanner {Falco hiarmicits) rise from its stoop with a kingfisher 

 in its claws and speed away to a big tree some 20 yards off, 

 I shot the Lanner promptly, and it fell stone-dead Avith the 

 kingfisher in its claws (Morogoi-o, 17. i. 18). 



Halcyon chelicuti Stanley. 



Striped Kingfisher. Each morning as I wake I hear a pair of 

 small kingfishers start shrilling — this coined word seems to 

 describe the noise better than anything. The note is not unlike 

 " peewit," whistled through the top front teeth, but the one bird 

 follows up its mate's call, so that there is one continuous sound, 

 and at first I thought it was one bird calling. As each in turn 

 utters its note, it spreads its wings like a fan, then raises them 

 above the level of its head, lowers and then closes them, repeating 

 the performance constantly. It is a pretty spectacle to witness, 

 as the wings and tail are partially pale blue and displayed to 

 advantage. As these little kingfishers are no larger than 

 sparrows, and select the topmost branches of the acacia-trees for 

 their performance, it was some time before I could find out the 

 pei'petrators of the noise (Morogoro, 26.x. 17). 



Halcyon albiventris orientalis Peters. 



Oriental Brown-hooded Kingfisher. A young lizard {Gerrho- 

 saurus flavigularis) was in the stomach of a specimen shot at 

 Dar-es-Salaam, 26. vi. 18. 



CoLius STRIATUS AFFiNis Shelley. 



Mouse-bird. I believe Dar-es-Salaam Colies are referable to 

 this race, which was found nesting with three eggs on l.ii. 19. 

 A nest and three eggs were taken at Nairobi on 7. v. 19. 



CoLius iNDicus PALLiDus Reichw. 



Was collected at Lumbo, where there were many flocks in 

 July and August ; its cry was like that of a plover {Stephanibyx). 

 After August they were only seen singly or in pairs ; this should 

 have put me on my guard, but it was not till I happened on a 

 nest containing three eggs that it occurred to me that the birds 

 had disbanded for breeding. Search being made, a dozen nests 

 were found in October, but nearly all of them contained highly- 

 incubated eggs or young. The eggs are i-ound, dull stony-white 



