Birds of Gambia. 
287 
yet been able to show me a nest to confirm or refute his story; 
however 1 expect the myth originated from the fact that the birds 
may frequently be seen carrying off small snakes, still wriggling, 
in their beaks and that they may sometimes ornament their nests 
with a cast snake-slough. A Mandingo could easily evolve an even 
more marvellous tale from such a basis of fact. Their food ..■onsists 
of lizards, small snakes, frogs and other reptiles as well as laige 
insects. One 1 had in a cage began to eat locusts an hour or two 
after capture and in a few days took to raw meat, chicken-lights etc, 
on which he throve until his escape later on. He was caught in the 
kitchen -hut, which I suppose he had entered to pick up scraps, and 
from that I presume that these birds commonly augment theii- usual 
diet of living food by any pieces of offal or dead things they may 
come across. 
Ceulhmochares flavirostris. VELLOW-BlLIiED COUCAIj. 
Range. West Africa, Senegal to Gold Coast. (H.L.) 
I do not think I have seen this bird in the Gambia more 
than once; this was in June, 1907, when I saw at Albreda a pair of 
what 1 am practically certain were this species. 
Above they are dai'k slate with a dark steel-blue gloss on 
the rump, wings and tail; below paler slate-grey; under surface 
of wings bluish grey, of tail steel-blue. Beak yellow, upper mandible 
strongly curved downwards; legs black; iris deep crim.son. Length 
12.5 inches. 
Coccystes glandarius. GREAT SPOTTED CUCKOO. 
Range. Europe to I^ersia, Tropical Africa in winter (H.L.) 
This bird is only a winter visitor to the Gambia, and during 
that season is not uncommon, though by no means regularly seen. 
Its note is a harsh "kark-kark" as a rule, but in the evenings it 
also often utters a prolonged dove-like call, " doo-doo-doo-dot)", 
from which it gets its usual Mandingo name, "Jambo-doodoo ; it 
is often also called "Saling", the name for any small Hawk, because 
according to the natives it commonly kills and eats doves like the 
hawk. This it certainly may do at times, but its principal food 
consists of insects and small reptiles. 
Description. Crown, which is crested, grey streaked with 
black, rest of upper surface including wings and tail slaty-brown; 
wing-feathers tipped with white. Throat sides of neck and upper 
breast yellowish buff, remainder of under surface white. Iris hazel; 
bill brown, yellow at base; legs blackish brown. Length 15 inches. 
Young birds have the crown black and the wings a redder brown. 
C.jacobinus. PIEU CRESTED CUCKOO. 
Range. Tropical Africa. India. (ILL.) 
This is a resident bird, but for all that is rather more rarely 
seen than the preceding. Above it is black glossed with green and 
With a distinct white band across the wing; tail black with white tips 
to th(( feathers; under surface white washed with pale buff. Iris, 
bill and legs black. Length 13.5 inches. 
