THE KORWfe. 327 



the mopane-tree: On the 19th (February) we passed the nest of 

 a Kqtw6, just ready for the female to enter ; the orifice was 

 plastered on both sides, but a space was left of a heart shape, 

 and exactly the size of the bird's body. The hole in the tree 

 was in every case found to be prolonged some distance upwards 

 above the opening, and thither the Korw^ always fled to escape 

 being caught. In another nest we found that one white egg, 

 much like that of the pigeon, was laid, and the bird dropped 

 another when captured. She had four besides in the ovarium. 



" The first time that I saw this bird was at Kolobeng, where 

 I had gone to the forest for some timber. Standing by a tree, a 

 native looked behind me, and exclaimed, ' There is the nest of a 

 Korw^.' I saw a slit, only about half an inch wide and three or 

 four inches long, in a slight hollow of the tree. Thinking the 

 word 'Korwd ' denoted some smaU animal, I waited with interest 

 to see what he would extract; he broke the clay which sur- 

 rounded the slit, put his arm into the hole, and brought out a 

 Tockus, or Eed-breasted Honibill, which he killed. 



" He informed me that when the female enters her nest, she 

 submits to a real confinement. The male plasters up the 

 entrance, leaving only a narrow slit by which to feed his mate, 

 and which exactly suits the form of his beak. The female 

 makes a nest of her own feathers, lays her eggs, hatches them, 

 and remains with the young till they are fully fledged. During 

 aU this time, which is stated to be two or three months, the male 

 continues to feed her and the young family. The prisoner gene- 

 rally becomes fat, and is esteemed a very dainty morsel by the 

 natives, while the poor slave of a hiisband gets so lean that, on 

 the sudden lowering of the temperature, which sometimes happens 

 after a fall of rain, he is benumbed, falls down, and dies. I never 

 had an opportunity of ascertaining the exact length of the con- 

 finement, but on passing the same tree at Kolobeng about eight 

 days afterwards, the hole was plastered up again, as if in the 

 short time that had elapsed the disconsolate husband had secured 

 another wife. We did not disturb her, and my duties prevented 

 me from returning to the spot. 



" This (February) is the month in which the female enters the 

 nest. We had seen one of these, as before mentioned, with the 

 plastering not quite finished ; we saw many completed, and we 

 received here the veiy same accoiint that we did at Kolobeng, that 



