286 
Birds of Gambia. 
Birds of Gambia. 
By E. HOrKlNSON, D. S. O., M. A., M. D. 
( Continued from payc 266.) 
CUCULlDiE. 
The Cuckoos are represented in Gambia by five genera; 
(1) Cenlropus and (2) Ceutlimo chares, the Coucals, (ii) 
Coccyntes. the Spotted Cuckoos, (4) Cuculus, the typical Cuckoos 
and (5) Chrysococcyx, the Golden Cuckoos. 
Centropus senegalensis. SENEGAL COUCAL. 
Range. Tropical Africa; North to the Nile Delta. (H.L.) 
A brown bird with whitish belly, about as big as a .Jay but 
mucli longer in the tail. The crown, nape, rump and tail are ))lack, 
the wings and wing-coverts burnt-sienna brown and the whole under 
surface pale creamy white. The feathers are coarse and harsh - 
looking, giving the birds always a rather untidy appearance. The 
bill and feet are black, the latter strong and furnished with powerful 
claws, especially that on the hind toe, which is long and straight 
like a lark's and of great use in assisting their movements among 
the long tangled grass they frequent. The iris is bright red, giving 
them an alert and rather fierce expression. In length they measure 
about sixteen inches, of which the tail forms nearly half. 
They are extremely common here and found everywheie 
thi-oughout the country. The dry swamps are perhaps their favourite 
resorts and here they are to be seen Hopping slowly from bush to 
bush or running about on the ground, and are so tame and careless of 
man that they have gained the name of "Foolish Bird", from the 
idiotic way they have of offering themselves as targets at the 
closest range to any one out with a gun. Their Mandiiigo name 
is "Kandiwutu". Their note is one of the commonest sounds of 
the evening and early part of the night, and can generally be heard 
on all sides about sunset and after, as one bird answers anotiier, 
calling "wu-tu-tu-tu-" repeated ad libitum with a gradually falling 
pitch, the performer attitudinising the while on his perch, his 
throat puffed out and collapsed alternately, his head bowed 
forward till his beak points to his toes, his tail bent downwards 
till parallel with his legs and liis whole attitude apparently one of stilf 
and grotesque discomfort. At other times they also utter a sort of 
cackle somewhat like the bush-fowls' call and at the same time 
suggesting a mocking laugh, particularly annoying when it follows 
immediately after a bad miss. 
Unlike the true Cuckoos the Coucals Imild nests and hatch 
tlieii young. The nest is placed low down in a bush always just 
inside some patch of really thick growth. The natives assure me 
that they never find one of their nests which does not contain a 
livinjr but crippled snake, kept tlicrc to scare away intruders. 
This is a pretty tall stoi-y, especially as none of my informants have 
