34 « PERCHING BIRDS. 
the second nearly equal in length to the third; the tail being long, broad, and 
wedge-shaped ; while the feet are strong, and furnished with sharp-curved claws, 
by means of which the birds retain their hold on the slippery skin of buffaloes. 
One species of ox-pecker inhabits North-Eastern Africa, Senegambia, and the 
Transvaal; while the South African ox-pecker (Buphaga africana ) is found in 
Natal, and the red-billed species ( B. erythrorhyncha) in most parts of Central Africa. 
These birds fly in small parties of six or eight, and have a somewhat laboured 
flight; they may be observed climbing over the oxen in a team, much as a wood¬ 
pecker climbs a tree; and the cattle for the most part enjoy the operation of being 
freed from the ticks and other pests with which they are infested. On the first 
arrival of a flock of these birds, the cattle are, however, apt to be alarmed, and start 
RED-BILLED OX-PECKER (| nat. size). 
