398 i 
SOUTHERN AFRICA. 
the flowers in Africa, and to be set in glas& 
shades, when dead, in Europe. We allude to 
them more particularly in connexion with their 
ability of singing. As a general remark, it 
certainly is true, that, in Africa, "the flowers 
are without scent, and the birds without song." 
Nevertheless, there are to this rule, (like all 
others,) very manifest exceptions : and this in 
particular, as relates, in the latter case, to the 
Honey-bird. Professor Swainson, in his able 
book on African birds, seems to imply a doubt 
of Mr. Barrow's assertion, in his book of Afri- 
can travels, that this bird was a songster. We 
are now happy in being able to confirm Mr. 
Barrow's assertion, that tenuirostral birds are 
sometimes gifted with a musical yoice. For, 
whilst in Kaffirland, we had frequent oppor- 
tunities of attentively watching these little 
birds, as they played in the trees in our gar- 
den: and we have sat for hours, listening to 
their sweet plaintive warbling, as they perched 
in the bushes close by. Those that we heard 
singing were varieties of the Scarlet-throated 
Sugar-bird of Kaffraria : f Cinnyris ChalyheaJ 
of Cuvier, which appears to be also the u Su- 
erier a Plastron Rouge" of Le Vaillant. 
Leaving, however, with reluctance the Orni- 
thology of the Cape, (for lack of space,) we 
next turn to glance at the Eeptiles and Insects 
