THE BIRDS OF AFRICA, COMPRISING ALL THE SPECIES WHICH OCCUR EEGION ETHIOPIAJST BY G SHELLEY, E (late F.Z.S., grenadibk F.R.G.S., &c guards), AUTHOB OF "A HANDBOOK TO THE BIBDS OP EGYPT," "A MOHOGBAPH OF THE SUN-BIBDS," ETC X VOL V P^^T II ^n.\nSO"-" '"^r//^ - OCT j?oiyi2 ' \„ZZASO\ COMPLETED AND EDITED BY W L SCLATER, LO NDON M.A., : HENRY SOTHERAN 43, PICCADILLY, W., AND 1912 F.Z.S 140, & Co STEAND, W C THE BIRDS OF AFRICA, PL LI Campeijhaga qui sc alma c^.^ PEEFATOEY NOTE The late present instalment completes the volume fifth of the Captain Shelley's great undertaking Soon after the appearance of the first part of the present volume in 1906, the author was struck down by a sudden illness and although he lived on till a stroke of paralysis — — November 29, 1910, he was unable to continue his labours The completion of his work, however, was constantly in and shortly before his death I was asked by Mrs would undertake this task It was not, however, his thoughts, Shelley if I until afterwards, in the middle of last year, that the arrange- ments could be made over to me all the for MSS doing so Mrs Shelley then handed and the proofs of four sheets which were already in type The plan and arrangement of the present part is that of the late Captain Shelley, and my task has been to supply descriptions of some of the species, many were very incomplete, to revise the whole in and discoveries the additional facts and to pass the work through the the of press I mainly am of which the light last of six years, indebted to my father, Mr P L Sclater, for having read through the proofs for me, and to Mr Ogilvie Grant ties afforded to It is me much help and many facili- Eoom at the British Museum work may be completed in four or five in the hoped that the for Bird more volumes W July 15, 1912 L Sclater CONTENTS age Peefatoey Note List of Plates Section V Lanii Family Genus I I Diceueid^ Diceueus 724 Dicrurus forficatus wakleni 725 ,, 726 ,, fuscipennis 727 ,, aldabranus 728 „ afer 729 „ modesfcus 730 „ coracinus 731 „ ludwigi ,, atripennis 732 Family Genus VANGiDiE Xenopieosteis II I 733 Xenopirostris polleni 734 „ xenopirostris 735 „ dami Genus Aetamia II 736 Artamia viridis annse 737 ,, 738 ,, chabert 739 „ schistocerca „ bicolor 740 comorensis Genus III Oeiolia 741 ,, 742 Oriolia bernieri Genus IV Vanga 743 Vanga curvirostris 744 „ griseipectus Genus V Lantzia 745 Lantzia rufa (PI Genus VI Calicalicus , 746 Calicalicus madagascariensis Genus VII Aeeochaeis 747 Aerocharis prevoati Family III CAHPorHAaiD^ CONTENTS page 776 Fiscus humeralis 777 „ smithi cameruniensis 778 ,, 779 „ 780 „ 781 „ subcoronatus marwitzi (Pl.liii., fig-1) somalicus 782 „ dorsalis 783 „ cabanisi 784 „ excubifcorius 785 „ princeps bohmi Genius IV Lanius 786 „ 787 Lanius aucheri 788 pallidirostris 789 elegans 790 leucopygos uncinatus 791 792 liibberti 793 ,, minor 794 ,, bogdanowi Genus V Enneoctonus 795 Enneoctonus collurio 796 ,, gubernator 797 ,, strumpelli Genus VI Phoneus 798 Phoneus niloticus 799 „ senator 800 „ badius Genus VII Otomel.v 801 Otomela isabellina 802 ,, Subfamily Genus I II phoenicuroides Laniakiin.e Laniaiiius 803 Laniarius ruficeps 804 rufinuchalis 805 kismayensis 806 luehderi 807 ferrugiueus 808 809 major mossambicus 810 guttatus 811 aetbiopicus 812 ambiguus 813 somaliensis , 814 bicolor 815 turatii 249 252 252 254 257 258 261 262 264 2G5 265 267 268 270 271 272 274 276 276 279 280 280 285 285 287 287 289 291 292 293 295 296 297 299 300 SOO 301 303 306 308 310 312 312 312 316 316 page 816 Laniarius sublacteus 817 atroflavus 818 barbarus 819 mufumbiri 820 atrococcineus 821 erytbrogaster 822 cbrysostictus 823 funebris 824 alboplagatus 825 eriangeri 826 nigerrimus 827 828 leucorhynchus holomelas 829 poeusis 830 fijlleborni Genus DiiYoscorus 831 Dryoscopus senegalensis II 832 affinis 833 gambensis 834 congicus 835 malzacii 836 ny ansae 837 cubla 838 bamatus 8.39 pringlii 840 tbamnophilus 84L angolensis 842 nandensis 843 bocagei 844 jacksoni ansorgei 845 Genus 846 847 Chaunonotus Chaunonotus sabini III ,, melanoleucus Genus IV Tschagea 848 Tschagra senegala 849 remigiabs 850 babessinica 851 eriangeri 852 percivali 853 australis 854 ussberi 855 857 minor emini congener 858 frater 856 317 319 319 321 322 325 325 327 330 330 331 331 334 335 336 337 338 342 344 344 346 346 349 349 353 354 355 356 357 357 357 359 359 359 361 362 369 371 371 373 374 374 374 374 374 375 CONTENTS 859 Tschagra tschagra 860 „ natalensis 861 ,, sousae 862 ,, ausorgei 863 „ jamesi 864 ,, maudana 865 ,, kismayensis Genus V Anticheomus 866 Antichromus minutus 867 anchietae ,, Genus VI Ehodophoneus 868 Ehodophoneus cruentus 869 „ hilgerti 870 „ cathemagmenus (PI liv., fig 1) (PI liv., figs 2, 3) Genus VII Telophorus 871 Telophorus viridis 872 „ quadricolor 873 „ dohertyi 874 ,, zeylonus Genus VIII Neolestes 875 Neolestes torquatus Genus IX Malaconotus 876 Malaconotus poliocephalus 877 878 879 catharoxanthus hypopyrrhus approsimans 880 monteiri 881 lagdeni 882 883 cruentus gabonensis 884 adolfi-friederici 885 eladiator Genus X Chloeophoneus 886 Chlorophoneus multicolor 887 batesi 888 preussi 889 melamprosopus 890 nigrifrons 891 manniugi 892 nigrithorax 893 sulfureopectus 894 similis 895 rubiginosus 896 bertrandi LIST OF PLATES, VOL Plate L Vanga Plate LI Campephaga Plate LII., ,, Plate LIII., ,) Plate LIV., » Plate LV., 1, Plate LVI., I, Plate LVII., ,) fig V., quisealica santbornoides „ Coraeina azurea fig Fiscus marwitzi ,, fig ,, ,,2 fig fig „ newtoni Ehodophoneus 2, fig i> ,, „ hilgerti cathemagmenus Nicator chloris ,, Nilaus II griseipectus ,, PAET gularis affinis Eurocephalus anguitimens Prionops poliolopha Sigmodus mentalis LA Nil Section V 165 LANII Passerine Birds, which not swallow their food during flight, nor with Secondaries never reach to the tip of the wing Nestlings generally with the plumage more barred downwards their backs Bill never Finch-like than in the adults, and never brighter in colour nor with the subterminal spots to the feathers more rounded than in the adults Among the habits most constant in the be remarked the members prominent positions they of this section, may such as the exposed select, bough of a bush, whence they watch to catch the passing which constitute their chief food When they have eaten enough they often impale upon thorns their superfluous captures for later use as required, which habit has suggested the name of " Butcher-birds " for them in England, and for the same reason, coupled with the black and white plumage of the common South African species, some have there received topmost insects, the name of The nest Fiscal Shrikes is a strong cup-shaped structure, generally placed in a bush a few feet from the ground, and the eggs, usually in a clutch, are five distinctly spotted KEY TO THE FAMILIES AND SUBFAMILIES a Sides and back of tarsus bilaminated a^ Bars of the feathers, when present in the young only, paler than the feathers themselves a^ Tail of only 10 feathers; bill wide, the general plumage b^ Tail of 12 feathers nostrils, and, like ; and black rictal-bristles strong DicruridcB at the narrower than deep the plumage, rarely black ; like bill Bars on the feathers, when present, in the young only, darker than the feathers themselves more flattened, not deeper than broad at c" Bill nostrils upper mandible less hooked and notched shafts of some of the feathers of lower back with stifi', sharply pointed ends (/- Bill deeper than broad at the nostrils upper mandible strongly notched shafts of feathers of back normal a^ Feathers of lower back normal nostrils at least partly concealed by the frontal bristles nostrils b.^ Feathers of lower back soft and fluffy more free from frontal bristles Vangidce b''- ; ; Campophaijldie ; ; LaniidcB ; LaniiiKB ; [June, 1912 LaniariincB 12 ... only one of the most abundant of is African birds, but most evenly and widely mere list of the localities, from whence it has been recorded by ornithologists, filling more than a page of Dr Keicbenow's... referred of the flocks of open bush has led small birds to its being Induna yezinyone (General of the birds) It will attack owls, hawks and snakes which approach its charge, and even when one of them... nests of a Bulbul and of a Dove of the genus Aplopelia, he was assailed by pairs of these Drongos, which flew at him within a yard of Mdhenguri," and in Singuni, his face From British Central Africa