44 NESTING HABITS OF E. AFRICAN BIRDS 
he goes home to the circumcision village, where he hands them 
to the mother. The girls do not take part in the ceremony, 
but their twigs are plucked for them by the young men. They 
participate, however, in the subsequent dance. The mother 
places all the bunches of twigs on the roof of her hut outside 
for that night, and not inside as in the Mathira country. No 
doubt there are other variations in other parts. 
In Mathira when an ancestral ‘ Mugumo ’ tree becomes 
unsafe from age, or too large, it may be cut down to the accom- 
paniment of a sacrifice. Four cuttings (branches) are planted 
near at hand and whichever becomes the most flourishing 
tree is adopted as the tree for the future performance of the 
ceremonies ; the others may either be left standing or may 
be cut down on the occasion of the sacrifice at the initial 
‘ throwing ’ ceremony of the chosen tree. 
THE NESTING HABITS OF SOME EAST AFRICAN 
BIRDS 
By W. M. Congreve, M.B.O.U. 
My excuse, if any is needed, for writing these notes for 
the N.H. Society’s Journal, is that exceedingly little is known 
of the nesting seasons and habits of the birds of this country. 
There are also very few publications in the English language 
that are of any use as guides, and, in consequence, any amateur 
oologically inclined is very much at sea as to when and where 
to look for birds’ nests. It is therefore hoped that the following 
rough descriptions of a few eggs and nests found by the writer 
may in a small measure help to swell the inadequate amount 
of information published up to date. 
The East African Crowned Crane 
(Balearica gibbericeps) 
A pair of cranes of the above species reside on a seven- 
hundred-acre glade of the Mau forest not far from Njoro 
