16 



Mr. Charles John Anderssou gives us the following valuable details 

 respecting the habits of this interesting Weaver bird : — 



" This laree finch-like bird is rather common in Damara-land and also 

 in the Lake-regions, where it is known to the natives by the name of 

 ' Tsaha GuhIiou.' It is a noisy species, gregarious in its habits, breeding 

 in colonies, and constructing many nests in the same tree : it seems to 

 prefer the giraflfe-acacia for the purpose of nidification ; and it is curious that 

 when these birds have used a tree for this purpose it usually withers in a 

 short time after the building of the nest is completed ; but whether the 

 birds instinctively select such trees as have a tendency to decay, I am 

 unable to say. The collective nests consist externally of an immense 

 mass of dry twigs and sticks, in which are to be found from four to six 

 separate nests or holes of an oval form, composed of grass only, but united 

 to each other by intricate masses of sticks, defying the ingress of any 

 intruder except a small snake. In each of these separate holes are laid 

 three or four eggs, exactly resembling Sparrows' eggs, but much larger. 

 I obtained no less than forty of these eggs (all much incubated), on 

 January 29th, from two low trees standing close together, at Amatoni, in 

 latitude 18" south ; and on the following day the birds were busy in 

 repairing one of the collective nests, which had been injured during the 

 collection of eggs which it contained. I believe these nests are annually 

 added to ; for, so far as I have been able to see, the same nest is retained 

 for several consecutive seasons." 



Mr. E. Lort Philipps procured Textor intermedins in Somah-land where 

 it is " very plentiful in flocks near Taf in the interior of the Plateau, which 

 in the rainy season becomes a lake. In March they were busily building 

 colonies of nests in the higher trees. In habits they much remind one 

 of Starlings, especially when feeding in flocks on the ground. 



" Iris brown ; feet black ; <y bill red ; 2 bill dark brown." 



I am indebted to Capt. G. B. Shelley and the Rev. Canon Tristram for 

 the loan of their specimens, from which the following measurements have 

 been taken. 



The plant is Pattcrlickia pyracantha, of South Africa. 



