Ch«j». XXX. BIRDS— CATERPILLARS. 307 



of our benignant Father's smile on all the works of Ilia 

 hands. 



The birds of the tropics have been described as generally 

 wanting in power of song ; but this was certainty not applic- 

 able to many parts in Londa, though there birds are remark- 

 ably scarce, while here the chorus, or body of song, though 

 not so harmonious, was not much smaller in volume than it is 

 in England. Some of the notes resemble those of the lark, 

 and indeed there are several of that family ; two others are 

 not unlike those of the thrush. One brought the chaffinch to 

 my mind, and another the robin ; but their songs are inter- 

 mixed with several curious abrupt notes unlike anything 

 English. One utters deliberately " peek, pak, pok;" another 

 has a single note like a stroke on a violin-string. The mokwa 

 reza gives forth a screaming set of notes like our blackbird 

 when disturbed, then concludes with what the natives say is 

 " pula, pula" (rain, rain), but more like " weep, weep, weep." 

 Then there is the loud cry of francolins, the " pumpuru, 

 pumpuru" of turtle-doves, and the " chiken, chiken, chik, 

 churr, churr " of the honey-guide. Occasionally near villages 

 we hear a kind of mocking-bird imitating the calls of domestic 

 fowls. These African birds have not been wanting in song 

 so much as in poets to sing their praises. In hot dry weather, 

 or at midday when the sun is fierce, all are still : but with 

 the first good shower all burst forth at once into merry 

 lays and loving courtship. The early mornings and the cool 

 evenings are their favourite times for singing. The majority 

 have decidedly a sober plumage, though collectors, having 

 generally selected the gaudiest as the most valuable, have 

 conveyed the idea that the birds of the tropics for the most 

 part possess gorgeous plumage. 



15th. — Several of my men have been bitten by spiders and 

 other insects without any worse result than pain. I particu- 

 larly noticed a large caterpillar, called lezuntabuea, having a 

 dark body covered with long grey hairs, resembling a porcu- 

 pine in miniature. If it is touched the hairs run into the 

 pores of the skin, inflicting sharp pricks. Some others have 

 a similar means of defence ; and when the hand comes in 

 contact with them, as in passing a bush on which they happen 

 to be, the effect resembles the stinging of nettles. From the 



