Expedition to the Zambesi River. 105 
difficulty to extricate themselves on the approach of danger; 
in fact sometimes they keep quite still, preferring to lie 
“ dogo.” During the hush that follows the exodus of other 
birds from the tree, an individual of the band, thinking 
danger past, will creep cautiously to one of the topmost 
twigs and cling to it lengthwise after the manner of a 
Woodpecker, the others in the meantime keeping up a con¬ 
fused chattering within their leafy retreat. Then, on the 
sounds of fresh disturbance, they one and all break cover 
with a great rush, spreading out into a fan-shape, soon, 
however, to reunite into a compact wedge-shaped body and 
to travel straight as an arrow to their next thick retreat, all 
the while giving vent to their chattering notes. These birds 
love company, and are always, even in the breeding-season, 
to be found in bands, for while the females undertake the 
task of incubation, all the males may be observed travelling 
from one favourite spot to another, and keeping close together 
as if they were afraid of being attacked. 
During our stay at Inhambane, we remember seeing a 
number of these birds clustering round the fruit of a large- 
leaved tree (Terminalia catappa) common to the locality. 
It was a remarkable sight to witness them all scrambling 
together and hanging from a single fruit, and reminded us 
forcibly of a litter of young pigs being suckled by their 
mother. 
Adult S, near Tete (August 4). Sexual organs in breeding 
condition. Wing 3*6 inches, culmen 0*5, tail 8T. Iris dark 
hazel; upper mandible black, lower light horn-colour, bluish 
at base; legs and feet pale claret-colour. In old males the 
lower mandible is entirely of a dark bluish horn-colour. 
153. CoLIUS ERYTHROMELON (Vieill.) . 
By no means common, and first observed on November 10 
near Chicowa. In habits they resemble C. striatus , travelling 
about in small parties and keeping chiefly to the thickest 
portions of well-leaved trees, away from the heat, which they 
seem to feel very much, becoming active only in the early 
morning and evening. The cry, generally uttered on the 
