PARASITIC WEAVERBIRDS 83 



of nuptial feathering, but I have seen no evidence to support this 

 statement unless it is Chapin's (1917, p. 257) comment to the effect 

 that he had observed "the black males of Hypochera, or even brown 

 immatm-e individuals hovering in the air beside then* mates in the 

 same way as cocks of Vidua serena [= macroura]." As far as is loiown, 

 however, no viduine species begin to breed before their second year. 



Eggs and Egg Laying 



Olsen (1958) bred the black-winged combassou in captivity with 

 Estrilda senegala as the host. He noted that the eggs of the parasite 

 were pure white, shghtly larger and more rounded than those of the 

 host. He failed to measure the eggs as he did not want to disturb the 

 birds. Aside from this record, no completely authenticated egg of this 

 species of combassou has been described. Shuel (in Jourdain and 

 Shuel, 1935, p. 662) found a dead black-winged combassou with an 

 egg ready to be laid just outside the nest of an apparent intended 

 host. While Shuel failed to describe the egg, he assumed that the 

 nest belonged to this combassou. Because the nest contained four 

 pure white eggs 13.4-13.7 by 10.7-10.9 mm., it seems likely that if 

 the egg stiU in the body of the bird had been very different he would 

 have been less prone to think the nest belonged to the same species. 

 There is no reason to think that the egg of this combassou is ever 

 anything but unmarked white, as are the known eggs of all the viduine 

 weavers. Eggs, assumed by the collectors to be of the black com- 

 bassou (but which may have been of the pin-tailed widow bhd) from 

 Entebbe, Uganda, are indistinguishable from those of the latter, these 

 eggs being pure white and measuring 14.4-14.7 by 10.9-12.0 mm. 



In the Gambia, many years ago, Hopkinson (1909, p. 7) described 

 the eggs of the black-\vinged combassou as white, but I am not sure 

 what eggs he was describing, as he assumed that this bird made its 

 own nest and cared for its eggs and young in normal fashion. 



Another similarly uncertain case was reported from Denton Bridge, 

 Gambia, by Koss A. Walton. On October 20, 1943, he collected an old 

 nest of an unidentified species of weaver that contained five fresh, 

 pure-white eggs measuring 13.85-14.2 by 10.3-11.1 mm. A hen 

 black-wmged combassou was seen leaving the nest after the first egg 

 was laid. The eggs are now in the collection of R. &'euger, of Hel- 

 singfors, to whom I am indebted for this information. Wliile this 

 record cannot be considered as acceptable, I list it here in the hope 

 that additional Imowledge in the futm'e may help to elucidate it. 



Three other authors failed to place on record any corroborating 

 details, so their statements are less useful than they would other- 

 wise have been. Russ (1880, p. 681) stated that he bred the black- 

 winged combassou in his aviary, but gave no further information, and 



