104 
The Senegal Pie. 
other animal, until the coast is clear, or they have satisfied 
themselves that he is not dangerous, when tliey flop down again 
to their original occupation. When wild they are very tame, 
and in fact almost impudent, and evidently appreciate the society 
of man and beast. I have had one or two in captivity when 
they took to a diet of raw meat readily, but sometliing has 
always occurred to prevent my getting one home. I should 
have mentioned before that they feed largely on the bigger 
insects, such as locusts and beetles, and are always to be found 
with other birds, hunting the insects driven up by bush fires. 
Native name: Chacha fino — black chatterer." 
Writing of this bird in a recent number of L'Oiscan, Dr. 
Millet Horsin says : — , 
" The Senegal Black Pie, or ' Piac-piac ' of Levaillant, is 
common throughout the whole of French West Africa. It is 
not very interesting as it is very wild, even in an aviary. 
Nevertheless, one I have kept proved easy to tame. The subject 
of which I am writing the history was wounded by me, one 
evening at Anecho on June 5th, 1919: T was returning from a 
short walk, and whilst crossing a coco-nut plantation I saw the 
Pie, about twenty yards away. I gave it a charge of No. t2 
shot from a cartridge with a half load of powder. It fell, 
taking refuge in a small cactus bush, in which I covered my 
hands with blood in capturing the bird. It had no apparent 
wound, and seemed simply stunned. I put it on my return 
together with a black Pie-Grieche, similarly wounded, into a 
moveable cage already occupied by a Pie-Grieche of the same 
kind (Lanius collaris smithi). The Pie showed itself very agi- 
tated at first, but calmed down towards nightfall. The next 
day it accepted its fate : it cried less and was not so frightened 
by spectators. It ate with an appetite some little pieces of 
mutton as if it had been used for a long time to this kind of 
food. With its two co-prisoners, the black Pie-Grieches, 't 
comported itself very peacefully, and the cries of alarm with 
which they greeted its approach quickly ceased, and in a few 
days they agreed completely. I noticed that in this Pie the 
wings are not crossed in repose, but that their points join on the 
rump without quite touching." 
" The Black Pie seems to me — and T have confirmed it 
