BIRDS.— A GOOD OMEN. 259 



" Wa-wa-wa," and the piping of the fish-hawk, are sounds which 

 can never be forgotten by any one who has sailed on the rivers 

 north of 20° south. If we step on shore, the Charadrius carun- 

 cula, a species of plover, a most plaguy sort of " public-spirited 

 individual," follows you, flying overhead, and is most perse- 

 vering in its attempts to give fair warning to all the animals 

 within hearing to flee from the approaching danger. The alarm- 

 note, " tinc-tinc-tinc," of another variety of the same family 

 (Pluvianus armatus of Burchell) has so much of a metallic 

 ring, that this bird is called " setula-tsipi," or hammering-iron. 

 It is furnished with a sharp spur on its shoulder, much like 

 that on the heel of a cock, but scarcely half an inch in length. 

 Conscious of power, it may be seen chasing the white-necked 

 raven with great fury, and making even that comparatively 

 large bird call out from fear. It is this bird which is famed 

 for its friendship with the crocodile of the Nile by the name 

 siksak, and which Mr. St. John actually saw performing the 

 part of toothpicker to the ugly reptile. They are frequently 

 seen on the sand-banks with the alligator, and, to one passing 

 by, often appear as if on that reptile's back; but I never had 

 the good fortune to witness the operation described not only 

 by St. John and Geoffrey St. Hilaire, but also by Herodotus. 

 However, that which none of these authors knew my head 

 boatman, Mashauana, stopped the canoe to tell us, namely, 

 that a water-turtle which, in trying to ascend a steep bank to 

 lay her eggs, had toppled on her back, thus enabling us to 

 capture her, was an infallible omen of good luck for our jour- 

 ney. 



Among the forest-trees which line the banks of the rocky parts 

 of the Leeambye several new birds were observed. Some are 

 musical, and the songs are pleasant in contrast with the harsh 

 voice of the little green, yellow-shouldered parrots of the country. 

 There are also great numbers of jet-black weavers, with yellowish- 

 brown band on the shoulders. 



Here we saw, for the first time, a pretty little bird, colored dark 

 blue, except the wings and tail, which were of a chocolate hue. 

 From the tail two feathers are prolonged beyond the rest six 

 inches. Also, little birds colored white and black, of great vivac- 

 ity, and always in companies of six or eight together, and vari- 



