188 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



induce them to take wing, and every time I raised my gun, 

 the bird I aimed at dived like a grebe out of sight. However, 

 the mystery was afterwards explained, for a victim showed 

 that all its pinion-feathers were in a state of moult. 



About three o'clock we pulled into the bank in order to 

 go hunting before the evening, and made our camp in the 

 low bush on the top of a clifE that hung 20 ft. above the 

 river. 



Among the birds which I found in this locality was 

 a honey-guide {Indicator harianus). Following the habit 

 from which it derives its name, it boldly forced its company 

 upon me, circling round and uttering a string of chatter 

 notes in its endeavours to entice me to follow its lead. If one 

 follow the course it takes, as it flies from tree to tree the whole 

 time keeping up its running chatter, it will stop suddenly at a 

 certain tree and become quite silent, watching one intently 

 the while, as much as to say : " There is the honey, take it 

 out, and leave some for me ! " And sure enough, if one 

 care to look for it, a bees' nest will be found near-by in the 

 ground or in the hole of a tree. The Hausas liken its notes 

 to the words, " Bini-gashinung gashmung — wogga woggaf^ 

 which means, " Follow me, look, look ! Here it is ! " 



This amusing bird is well distributed over the bush-country 

 of Africa. I remember how once when travelling on the 

 Zambesi, on looking back I found that my " boys " were not 

 following me. Retracing my steps, I discovered them on 

 their hands and knees not twenty paces from where I had 

 shot a honey-guide. A fire had been lit, and one of them 

 was hard at work unearthing a big bees' nest. As soon as 



