INTRODUCTION. 
99 
tracts of humid and luxuriant vegetation diversified 
with thick forests and flowering shrubs, capable of 
producing animal and vegetable food for birds which 
could only exist in such situations. 
On the chief peculiarities of Senegal ornithology, 
in regard to the species and the natural groups to 
which they belong, a few general observations only 
can be hazarded. Some few of the very largest 
sized birds, sent with the others to this country, 
passed into other hands before we had inspected 
them; and it is probable many other species, at 
present unknown to us as natives of this part of 
Africa, may be sent through the exertions of Lieu- 
tenant Governor Rendall of our colony on the 
Gambia. We must, therefore, confine our remarks 
to the most prominent groups, without venturing 
upon numerical details. 
In the rapacious order, independent of several of 
the large eagles, &c. described by authors, and 
which must chiefly live upon quadrupeds, we find 
such a sufficient proportion of falcons which prey 
upon small birds, as to justify the supposition that 
the latter are more plentiful than would appear 
from the species we yet know of; this confirms our 
suspicion that we are yet ignorant of many of the 
fly-catchers and warbles of this district, in which it 
will be seen that our catalogue is very deficient. 
Further confirmation of this belief will be found in 
the number of shrikes, most of which live on the 
nestlings or young of small birds, and upon their 
eggs. The bush-shrikes are as numerous here as in 
