Page:The Emu volume 3.djvu/284

 borders of an open glade, and early in the morning on the top of a dead branch, and seems to be the first bird in the morning to make a stir, for his voice is heard long before any other, and strange to say, like our Australian Black and White Fantail, on moonlight nights I have often heard its soft note up in the thick foliage of some huge mango tree. Of Kingfishers there are three which came under my notice—one a very elegant bird, somewhat larger than our Halcyon sanctus, throat and chest pure white, abdomen rich chocolate, wings most lovely shade of blue Prussian, black tail, same coloured blue also back, back of the head same bright blue, bill and feet coral red. One is a pied species, the third a small and sombre-coloured one. I found amongst the brushwood a very elegant Thrush, resembling the Olive Thrush of the Cape, but much more richly marked. Sun-Birds are very numerous; a very handsome jet-black variety is one of the most conspicuous. The little orange-bellied one was very numerous. Of Merops there are two species—one small and sombre-coloured, but the larger species is a most handsome bird. Their habits and even their notes are identical with the Australian M. ornatus. The Finch tribe is very strong here, as in every part of Africa. The Weaver Finch here is quite a different bird from the one on Zanzibar Island; it is of a saffron-yellow, with black back and tail, and the entrance to its dome-shaped nest is much more elongated and made more neatly, being woven closer and of finer material. There is a most elegant. little scarlet variety, and a blue one with long tail; again a very small black one, but I have shot this bird at Zanzibar. A very large brown species with a massive bill draws one's attention, for it is always chattering, and moves about in large families. I am much interested in this Finch family, for the numbers of species I have collected over Africa (I mean in the South and on East Coast and islands) is wonderful. Guinea-Fowl are very plentiful in the thick undergrowth, also a brown hen called Spur-Fowl, on account of the spur on the wing like our Spur-winged Plover. Nocturnal birds are not at all plentiful, and I did not see one single species of the Owl family. The only bird I saw, and shot, was one of the Nightjars. There are three species of Swallows—a small brown one, a large Swift, and a very pretty little one with white breast with black band and steel-blue back. This is but a brief sketch of the birds of Lamu, for I have made many notes and specimens, from which later on I may be able to give you a more detailed record. I am hoping that this sun-stroke will not prevent my visiting Madagascar this trip.

I forgot to mention a very fine Fish-Hawk which is often to be seen perched quite motionless on a mangrove tree overhanging one of the channels. It has white head, neck, back, and breast, wings rich brown. Another Hawk which is very familiar up the coast is a small brown one which hovers over the waters of the bays like a Gull, and picks up any refuse thrown from the ship.

I met with two species of the order Columbæ—one a fine large