Page:The Zoologist, 4th series, vol 6 (1902).djvu/80

50 The Brom-vogel is found in the eastern half of Cape Colony, especially in the partially wooded and thorn country below the mountain ranges in Natal, in the low country of the Transvaal and Rhodesia, and along the Zambesi Valley as far as Northern Damaraland and Angola, and northwards throughout Nyasaland and German East Africa. It is generally known as the "Turkey Buzzard," or "Wild Turkey," among the English colonists; the "Brom-vogel" among the Dutch; and the "Intsingizi" among the Kafirs and Zulus.

Its appearance is sufficiently remarkable. Its plumage is black throughout, except the primary feathers of the wings, which are white, but which are not seen, as a rule, when the bird is at rest or walking. The naked skin round the eyes and the wattle on the throat are a vermilion-red, and this no doubt has gained for it its familiar name of "Wild Turkey."

These curious birds move about the country in small troops of from six to eight individuals; they feed entirely on the ground, and are more generally seen in the open, though sometimes to be found in the bush. Unlike other Hornbills, they walk, and do not hop, and, when pressed at all, can run at a very good pace. Occasionally, when flushed, they take to flight, but seldom for farther than half a mile or so, when they generally take refuge in cover, sometimes perching on the branch of a tree. At night also they roost in trees. A favourite resort is a patch of burnt ground; there, with their long beaks, they turn up the sods in search of insects or grubs. Having found a dainty morsel, they take it between the tips of their mandibles, and toss it up in the air, catching it again, and swallowing it immediately. They also kill and eat Snakes, Frogs, Lizards, Tortoises, Rats, and Mice. I have not seen them kill a snake in the dramatic fashion described by Mr. Ayres, but at all times, when they have secured a choice morsel, they will stretch out their wings, jump up in the air, and give vent to their "bromming" sound. Mr. Ayres' oft-quoted account is as follows:—"On discovering a snake, three or four of the birds will advance sideways towards it, with their wings stretched out, and, with their quills, flap at and irritate the snake till he seizes them by their wing-feathers, when they immediately all close round, and give him violent pecks with their long and sharp bills, quickly withdrawing again when the snake