198 



EASTERN ETHIOPIA 



XV 



(1777), and his observations have l)een confirmed by 

 many experienced African travellers, including Living- 

 stone. The natives accejjt it as a guide ; when they 

 observe this bird fluttering from tree to tree, uttering 

 shrill cries, they follow it, and are invariably led to a 

 nest. In return for such services the guide is rewarded 

 with a share of the spoils in the form of a piece of comb 

 containing grubs. Some ornithologists ridicule the idea 



Tlie KthiopiaiV.BiishlShrike. 

 Sometimes called the Organ Shrike. 



of the bird acting in this way, and others believe it 

 strongly. Millais in A Breath from the Veldt, 1 895, 

 gives a detailed account of the hone3^-guide, and states 

 that his boy found four nests of lioney in a very .short 

 time by following the bird. 



The sportsman finds the honey-guide a nuisance, for 

 it occasionally happens that he is making a careful 

 silent stalk towards the game when this bird flies up and 

 alarms all animals within hearing by its chattering, 



