64 
ON SAFARI 
Both the woods of Njemps and the marshes of the 
Molo that adjoined them swarmed with strange birds 
and unknown water-fowl. Gladly would I have spent 
more time in investigating these, but the major quest 
forbade. There were squawking bronze-green parrots— 
I took these to be parrots—an elusive cuckoo with ruddy 
breast that betrayed his genus by a muffled note, but 
avoided all save a fugitive glance. There were wood¬ 
peckers great and small—some no bigger than creepers; 
BARBET. 
Colours gold, lemon and crimson, black and white. 
barbets—thick-set, “ dumpy ” birds, in coloration akin to 
the last, though so different in habit; bush-shrikes and 
babblers ; tiny warbler-like “ white-eyes ” ( Zosterojps ), 
cousins of the sun-birds ; colies in little parties, and 
glossy starlings ( [Lamprocolius ), the latter nesting in 
hollow trees as starlings do at home. In the marshes 
we noticed various herons and egrets, spur-wing plovers, 
common and other sandpipers, kingfishers azure and 
pied, rails and chestnut-red jacanas. 
Next morning our scouts were away before dawn, 
but I was glad to be told that an early start was not 
necessary, since, having tramped over thirty miles the 
previous day, I wanted an “ easy.” At ten o’clock a 
little wizened savage (the same who had brought the 
first news to Baringo) came in and reported he had 
actually seen the elephant at dawn, that he was an 
