736 
Mr. W. L. Sclater on Birds collected 
was once common but is now distinctly scarce, owing, it is 
said, to its having been shot out by Cetywayo’s hunters ; 
the red feathers of the wings were that king’s special 
perquisite. In the forest of the Knysna district it is very 
plentiful and is usually seen in flocks of from half a dozen to 
a dozen, occasionally in pairs. It is a sociable species, and if 
one is shot from a flock the others, although alarmed at the 
report of the gun, will soon return and look for their mate, 
when another can be secured, and so, if one stays long enough, 
the whole party can be taken. When in the trees it has a 
creeping action, running along the branches and peering 
round on the intruder, continually raising and lowering the 
crest, and gradually working up to the topmost boughs, from 
which it finally takes flight to another tree ; the red primaries 
are very brilliant when the sun catches them. They are also 
most inquisitive birds, and I have had them, when I have been 
quietly lying up for bluebuck or small birds, come jumping 
and running through the trees within a few feet of me, 
examining me first from one point and then from another, 
uttering occasionally their harsh alarm-note and taking flight 
in a great hurry when I waved my arm. This species feeds 
almost exclusively on fruit and berries, and the cry is a harsh 
croaking noise which can be heard at a great distance. It 
calls generally in the early morning and late afternoon, often 
all day long when the weather is wet; sometimes not a bird 
is heard for days together, but this is generally when the 
weather is fine and warm. 
The soft parts of the adult are :--Irides brown ; orbits 
red ; bill orange-red; legs and toes black. 
In the young the irides are raw sienna, the orbits 
dusky; bill brown or brownish red; legs and toes black.] 
Turacus corythaix phcebus. 
Neumann, Ornith. Monatsb. 1907, p. 19S. 
Tv. Woodbush, Nov., Dec. (5). 
Neumann has recently shown that the “ Louries ” of the 
Eastern Transvaal are separable from those of Cape Colony 
by the colour of the back and tail, which is of a rich metallic 
