Chap. XIL". BIRDS. 16£ 



cock, but scarcely half an inch in length. Conscious ol 

 power, it may be seen chasing the comparatively large white 

 necked raven with great fury, and making it call out from 

 fear. It is this plover which is famed for its friendship with the 

 crocodile of the Nile, and which Mr. St. John saw performing 

 the part of toothpicker to the reptile. The bird is frequently 

 seen on the same sandbanks with the alligator, and often 

 appears as if perched on the animal itself to a person passing 

 by. A water-turtle, in trying to ascend a steep bank to la) 

 her eggs, toppled on her back, and enabled us to capture her. 

 We observed several new birds among the forest trees 

 which fringe tbe rocky parts of the Zambesi. Some are 

 musical, and their songs are pleasant in contrast with the 

 harsh voice of tho parrots of the countiy. One of them was 

 a pretty little bird, coloured dark blue, except the wings and 

 tail, which were of a chocolate hue. It has two feathers 

 projecting from the tail six inches. Another was coloured 

 white and black, and always appeared in companies of six or 

 eight. There were also great numbers of jet-black weavers. 



Francolins and guinea-fowl abound ; and on every stump 

 and rock the webfooted Plotus, darter, or snake-bird, is 

 perched, either sunning itself over the stream, or standing 

 erect with outstretched wings. Occasionally it may be seen 

 fishing, with its body so much submerged that hardly any- 

 thing but the neck appears above the water. Its time of 

 feeding is by night, and, as the sun declines, it may be seen 

 flying in flocks to the fishing-grounds. It is a most difficult 

 bird to catch, even when disabled, in consequence of its 

 expertness in diving ; it goes down so adroitly and comes up 

 again in such unlikely places, that the most skilful boatmen 

 rarely secure them. The rump of the darter is remarkably 

 prolonged, and serves both as a rudder in swimming, and as 

 a lever to lift the bird out of the water when it wishes to fly. 

 The fish-hawk, with white head and neck, and reddish- 

 chocolate coloured body, may frequently De seen perched on 

 the trees. It generally kills more fish than it can devour, 

 eating only a portion of the back, and leaving the rest for the 

 Barotse, who often had a race across the river when they saw 

 an abandoned morsel on tbe opposite sandbanks. It some- 

 times plunders the purse of the pelican in the following 



