512 
Mr. G. L. Bates on the 
for a month. It had been caught by a native woman who 
was working in her clearing, and seemed to be weakly and 
unable to fly, though apparently unhurt. In the choice of 
i's food this bird acted as if guided by a sense of smell ; for 
it at once took pieces of banana when held near its bill, 
without first tasting of them, while it would not at first 
touch guavas or papaws (Papaya). All these things must 
have been equally strange to it by sight. It may be re¬ 
marked, by the way, that no wild bird ever has an opportu¬ 
nity of eating bananas or plantains in this part of Africa, 
at least, as they never ripen on the stalk or “tree.” The 
name “Plantain-eater” is a ridiculous misnomer, as applied 
to any bird in West Africa. 
Halcyon forbesi. 
Halcyon torquatus forbesi Reichenow, Y. A. ii. p. 280. 
No. 4034. Imm. (culmen 40 mm.). Bitye. 
No. 4340. Not quite mature (culmen 45 mm.). Bitye. 
These specimens shew their immaturity, in different 
degrees, by a mixing of the black and red colours of the 
bill, which in adults are clearly separated, the red above and 
the black below; and by a wash of yellowish-brown on the 
plumage of the under parts. No example of this species had 
previously been obtained by me, but last year I got specimens 
of it and the similar, but much bluer, H. malimbicus in the 
same locality. One of the specimens of H . malimbicus was 
likewise immature (culmen 38 mm.) and shewed the same 
mixing of colours in the bill, but none of the colour on the 
under parts mentioned above ; even this immature bird is 
much bluer than the specimens of H. forbesi. 
H. senegalensis and H. cyanoleucus form another example 
of a pair of species very similar to each other, found in the 
same locality. 
One of my specimens of H. malimbicus was shot on the 
border of an army of driver-ants. I have more than once 
seen a Halcyon of some species among the birds that always 
gather about an army of drivers, to feed on the insects and 
other small creatures that are routed out of their hiding-places 
and compelled to flee for their lives by the terrible ants (see 
