HONEY* GUIDE. 



137 



Le Vaillant, in his travels, says the Hottentots 

 are very partial to this bird, on account of the 

 service it renders them ; and that once when he 

 was about to shoot one they implored him to spare 

 its life, in consideration of its utility. 



The following is the description of the bird 

 alluded to by Le Vaillant as Brace's * Indicator, 

 which the latter says is about seven inches in 

 length : bill pointed and rather bent, with a num- 

 ber of very small hairs at the base : irides dusky- 

 red : head and neck plain brown : inside of the 

 mouth and throat yellow : tongue pointed, and ca- 

 pable of being drawn half out of the mouth : eye- 

 brows black: fore part of the neck light yellow, 

 which colour reaches nearly to the shoulders, and 

 is darkest on the sides : breast and belly dirty 

 white : the wing-feathers mostly tipped with white : 

 tail consisting of twelve feathers of equal length, 

 and tipped with white : legs black, covered with 

 feathers half way down : feet with only three toes, 

 placed two before and one behind. It feeds on 

 bees, and when catching them makes a kind of 

 snapping noise, at other times it is silent : this 

 bird kills more than it eats, as numbers are found 

 scattered on the ground where it has been feeding ; 

 and is found in those parts of Abyssinia where 

 honey is produced as a revenue, as Agou and 

 Goutto. 



This bird is described by Dr. Latham in the 

 second supplement to his work, pages xxxi. 8. and 

 139. 13. under the name of Cuculus Abyssinicus. 



* Bee Cuckow. Moroc, Bruce* s Trav. App. 1/8. 



