18 U.S. NATIONAL MUSEUM BULLETIN 223 



erythrocephcUa " always drove off other weavers from their nests and 

 then occupied them. In the wild state, this species usually uses old 

 nests of other birds, and has not been recorded as taking them by 

 force from their rightful owners. The lack of information to this 

 effect may result from insufficient field observation, or it may indicate 

 that such behavior is not necessary in a wild state. 



In nest building as contrasted with nest adoption, there is a strildng 

 difference between the ploceine weavers and the estrildine group. 

 Many ploceine species carry nest building to excessive proportions 

 by building in and out of season as though driven by a mania for such 

 activity, even though they may make little or no use of these out-of- 

 season nests. Apparently nest building has become a displacement 

 activity. Courtship in these bnds is performed at the nests prepared 

 by the unmated males. Extra nest building or building out-of-season 

 nests may prove to result from overly sustained appetence in this 

 regard. 



In the estrildines, on the other hand, we find many species that often 

 use old abandoned nests of other kinds of bu'ds, although they some- 

 times make their own nests. Among these species are Amadina 

 Jasciata, Amadina erythrocephala, Clytospiza monteiri,^^ Esirilda sub- 

 flava, Euodice cantans, Esirilda yerreiniP Lonchura cucullata, Sorella 

 eminibey,^* Esirilda bengalus,^^ and Esirilda cyanocephala}^ Manuel 

 (1930) reported that in Lonchura jagori, both sexes are involved in 

 building the nest. 



Even in the ploceine species that indulge in excessive nest building 

 the activity is largely restricted to cock bu'ds. Among these species 

 may be mentioned Euplectes hordeacea, Arnblyospiza albifrons, Ana- 

 plectes melanotis,^'' Quelea quelea and Quelea erythrops, Malimbus 

 scutatus,^^ and a large number of species of Ploceus (capensis,^^ jack- 

 soni,^° nigerrimus,^^ ocularius,^'^ philippinus,^^ reichenovn,^* spilonotus,^ 



'■ Loxia erythrocephala Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 10, vol. 1, 1758, p. 172 (Africa; Angola). 



" Pt/tilia monteiri Hartlaub, Proc. Zool. See. London, 1860, p. Ill, pi. 161. 



i» Fringilla perreini Vieillot, Nouveau dlctionnalre d'histoire naturelle, vol. 12, 1817, p. 179. (Malimbe, 

 Portuguese Congo). 



1* Sorella eminibey Hartlaub, Joum. Ornith., vol. 28, 1880, p. 211, 326 (Lado, Upper Nile). 



» Fringilla bengala Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1763, p. 323 (Bengal=Senegal), 



i« Estrilda cyanocephala Richmond, Auk, vol. 14, 1897, p. 157 (Useri, near Kilimanjaro), 



" Ploceus melanotis Lafresnaye, Rev. Zool., 1839, p. 20 (Senegal). 



1' Sycobiiis scutattis Cassin, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sei. Philadelphia, vol. 4, 1849, p. 157 (Seirra Leone). 



" Oriolus capensis Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 163 (Cape of Good Hope). 



20 Ploceus jacksoni Shelly, Ibis, ser. 5, vol. 6, 1888, p. 293, pi. 7 (Kilimanjaro, probably Lake Jipe, near 

 Taveta), 



SI Ploceus nigerrimus Vieillot, Nouveau dictlonnaire d'histoire naturelle, vol, 34, 1819, p. 130 (Portuguese 

 Congo). 



" Piocew»o«i2oritM A. Smith, riustrations of the zoology of South Africa .... vol. 2, Aves, 1839, pi. 30, 

 fip. 2 (southeastern coast of South Africa). 



23 Loxia philippirta Linnaeus, Systema naturae, ed. 12, vol. 1, 1766, p. 305 (Philippine3=Ceylon). 



" Sycobrotus reichenowi Fischer, Journ. Ornith., vol. 32, 1884, p. 180 (Great Arusha). 



« Ploceus spllonotus Vigors, Proc. Zool. Soc. London for 1831, p. 92 (Algoa Bay). 



