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Genus IX. BEEF-EATER. 



N° i. African Beef-eater. 



BILL ftrong, thick, ftrait, nearly fquare: upper mandible a 

 little protuberant -, on the lower a large angle. 

 Tongue. 



Toes, three before, one behind; the middle connected to the 

 outmoft as far as the firft joint. 



Buphaga Africana, Lin. Syjl. i. 154. N" 1. I„" 



LePicbceuf, BriJ orn.n. 437. N° 1. t. 42. f. 2. AFRICAN 



, Buf. otf. iii. p. 175. t. 14.— PI. enl. 293. p F L E XlI ER ' 



HTHE fize of this bird is that of the crefted Lark : length eight Description. 



inches and a half. Colour above grey brown, beneath and 

 rump dirty yellow : the bill is in fome yellowifh, with the end 

 red, in others brown ; it is in figure nearly fquare, and ten lines 

 in length : the tail is wedge-fhaped ; all the feathers are pointed 

 at the end ; the.fide feathers are rufous on the infide margins : 

 legs and claws brown. 



Inhabits Senegal; where this bird is faid to be very fond of the Place and 

 larvas of infects, which are enclofed under the fkin, on the backs 

 of the oxen, and alighting on thefe animals, picks them out with 

 the bill, in the fame manner as the Magpie fettles on the backs 

 of fheep, in this country, to pick out the ticks. 



Briffon feems to be the only one who has feen this bird ; from 

 whom, and the Planches enluminees, we have taken our figure. 



Genus 



Manners. 



