Expedition to the Zambesi River . 425 
and all disappearing down their throats, greatly to our 
amusement. 
It therefore appears that the presence of this bird under 
certain conditions (this instance, for example) affords the 
native a clue as to the whereabouts of honey; but the belief 
that the birds of this genus will actually guide the traveller 
to bees'-nests, and even to dangerous places such as the lair 
of the leopard or lion, seems to be one of the fallacies of 
popular natural history, having chiefly emanated from 
hunters and explorers. 
I do not remember skinning tougher birds ; it was next 
to impossible to tear the skin, which, when dry, became like 
stiff parchment. 
We procured a good series of this Indicator, which is by 
no means demonstrative; the note is nearly always uttered 
on the wing. A male shot on October 27 has the upper parts 
and the dark portions of the tail-feathers ashy brown, while 
the feathers are much abraded, especially those of the greater 
and lesser wing-coverts. The bill is whitish horn-colour. 
At the end of December, the specimens obtained were in 
the process of moult. The new feathers of the upper parts and 
tail are dark brown, contrasting strongly with the old 
bleached ashy-brown feathers, and imparting to the upper 
parts a very mottled appearance. The bills are brownish 
horn-colour. The sexual organs of these specimens were 
approaching a breeding condition. 
166. Indicator major Stepli. 
The only specimen obtained was a female, which corre¬ 
sponds with one in the British Museum, from Fort Chi- 
quaqua, Mashonaland. These specimens have no black on the 
chins and throats, but otherwise are similar in plumage to 
the adult male of this species. Nearly all the specimens in 
the British Museum are immature males, with the feathers 
of the chin and throat showing signs of becoming black. It 
is quite possible, however, that the above-mentioned female 
specimens may be immature, and that both sexes when fully 
adult have the black chin and throat. 
