ITINERARY. XXXI 



deal in tone, either according to age or sex. Some years ago, I was 

 able to write an Occasional Kote in Timehri (while I was Editor) on 

 the cry of these birds, after I had had a fully adult male under 

 repeated observation. The bird had been brought down to Georgetown 

 in a large cage, in which it lived quite healthily : and its cry was 

 frequent and could at times be heard for long distances away over the 

 town. It had but two distinct calls : one, " kong-kay," the latter part 

 very shrill and prolonged ; and the other, not so frequent but melodious 

 and bell-like, "do-rong" the latter part also prolonged. In the former 

 the head was swung round rapidly from side to side on the prolonged 

 note, in the latter the head was held well up so as to straighten the 

 throat, the beak being raised. There was never any other cry. But 

 where numbers of bell-birds are heard repeatedly in the foi'est, there 

 is often a sound like *' kwa-ting," though a somewhat variable one. 

 At our camp and around, the notes wei'e heard at frequent intervals, 

 and so close by that there could be no confusion. "We sought repeatedly 

 to get birds in sight long enough to determine whether this note was 

 fi'om an immature njale or a female, and was representative of the 

 " kong-kay " of the adult, but we were never able to do so. It seems 

 likely, as Cozier said, that they ai-e the notes of young males practising, 

 much as a young cock beginning with something very unlike the 

 crowing of the adult, for at times there were sovmds that appeared to 

 be an imperfect form of both. 



Our track at first lay through high forest, but came later to an 

 extensive abandoned provision-tield where there were wide areas of 

 partly charred or very weathered logs and trunks of large ti-ees, under, 

 over, and between Avhich we had to make our Avay, amongst a thick 

 growth of trumpet-trees, spiny solanums, and scandent grasses and 

 sedges with sharp leaves and stems. It hardly seemed possible that 

 there could be any real path thi'ough the jiuigle, except that we came 

 out on a continuation of the track on the other side to another forest. 

 It was beyond comprehension that it should I'emain so blocked up, if 

 it were in regular use; and yet we came on others later of the same 

 kind and worse. The trunks were the remains of the trees that had 

 been felled or burnt through at various periods in making and extend- 

 ing the provision-fields, the lighter branches being easily burnt for the 

 clearing and the thick hardwoods left for the processes of time. The 

 planting is done between, until or unless they can be destroyed, and 

 new areas are continuously treated in the same way if the ground be 

 fertile, till abandonment takes place. In spite of our ordinary trail 

 being often very bad, over rocks and tree-roots, we always disliked the 

 going across these abandoned fields, since it was not possible to avoid 

 scratches and cuts from the spines and stems, which often were very 

 trouble.some in healing. 



The forest trail was much of the type that it had been over the 

 Kurubung Mountains, and the tree-roots — often very sharp and 

 slippery — were exti-emely tiresome and dangerous also, especially on 

 the slopes, where it was difficult to avoid slipping. McConnell un- 

 fortunately was sufl'ering from cliigoes in liis feet, probalily got at the 

 sandy camps or settlenients on the Mazaruni or tlie Kako, and the 

 walk must have been extremely painful. He had suffered similarl\- on 



