[Illustration]
In Africa there are birds which lead men to honey. They are called
honey-guides and their family name, Indicatoridae, has the same idea
incorporated into it. Though there are several species of these small,
dull-colored birds, which are related on the one hand to woodpeckers
and on the other to barbets, it is only one species, the common or
black-throated honey-guide that is well known as a guide to honey.
The traveler in the country may find one of these birds chattering and
flying ahead of him. The natives, who know this bird well and favorably
will tell the traveler to follow; it will lead to a bee tree. The
native, as he follows this guide, gives occasional whistles, as if to
encourage the bird. The bird continues, flying from perch to perch,
ahead, and chattering noisily. Sometimes it may return to see if the
men are following; sometimes it remains chattering on its perch until
the followers catch up. Finally the bird will go no farther. It flies
about aimlessly and allows one to approach closely. This is the spot.
In a hole in the tree trunk, or in the ground nearby the bees' nest is
to be found.
When the beehive is opened, and the honey taken, the honey-guide will
eat the comb that is left, and apparently it is for this that the
complicated behavior of leading of man to the beehive is developed.
Wax of the honeycomb is a usual food of this species, judging by
stomach examinations, and one wonders how they get it when man is
not about to open the bee trees for them. The birds have no special
adaptation for getting into the hives; indeed their only apparent
adaptation for this habit is a thick skin, perhaps a protection against
bee stings. Perhaps, as has been suggested, other animals, squirrels,
monkeys, or honey badgers may unwittingly aid them by opening up bee
trees for their own purposes and allow the honey-guides to snatch food
for themselves.
An amusing side of the picture is that sometimes the honey-guides may
lead the honey hunter to a beehive owned by a native.
There are also records of the honey-guide leading men to big game:
leopard or lions. That this occurs is amply documented, but one wonders
whether or not this was accidental; the honey-guide leading the way
to honey perhaps by accident leads the way past the resting place of
one of these big cats so that the man stumbles over the big game and
perhaps gets the impression he was led to the animal.