8



C. S. Webb—A Collector in French Cameroon



fifty feet of the ground, and there are so many trees bearing fruits or

berries that it is sheer luck if these birds visit any particular tree, which

makes the trapping of them exceedingly difficult. Invariably any net

or trap set for Touracous in the forest catches one or more of the host of

small birds—principally Bulbuls—that congregate to feed on the berries.

The Blue Touracou is much larger than the other members of the family

and has a tail about 15 inches long and a large crest. It is widely

distributed, being found from the Gold Coast across to Uganda. It

must be more easy to procure in regions where the forest trees are

comparatively small.


The most noticeable Hornbill near Eseka was the Black Hornbill

(Ceratogymna atrata). It makes a loud noise with its wings when in flight,

and has a very powerful voice. It has a large casque and blue wattles.


There are several species of dwarf Kingfishers in Cameroon, all of

which are very beautiful. I was successful in hand-rearing three Pygmy

Kingfishers (Ispidina picta) taken from the nest. They are insectivorous

and frequently inhabit thick forest away from water, although I have

seen them in all sorts of country in different parts of Africa. Their

diminutive size and exquisite beauty is a source of wonder to anyone

seeing them for the first time.


Just as small are the quaint little Tinker-birds ( Pogoniulus ), which

are dwarf Barbets. There are several species, and the plumage is usually

black and yellow with white or yellow stripes on the head. Some of

them have a monotonous call, which is merely the repetition of the same

note like someone tapping on a piece of iron. Like the larger Barbets,

they nest in holes in decaying trees. The entrance holes are incredibly

small and are only large enough to admit one finger. Some of the

Tinker-birds become tame very quickly in captivity and make amusing

pets. When they are newly caught it is better to provide a small box

with a tiny hole in it, inside their cage, so that they can hide when

anyone approaches and to sleep in, otherwise they are very difficult to

keep alive.


Two of the most attractive birds that I brought from Cameroon

were the Fiery-breasted Bush Shrike (Malaconotus cruentus) and the

Chestnut-crowned Bush Shrike ( Laniarius luhderi). The former was a

very handsome bird, as can be seen by the coloured plate of it that



