o 



Si mill, in length, which are usually sprinkled at the blunt end with 

 extremely small violet-black spots. They disappear from the above- 

 mentioned regions when the breeding season is over. This species seems 

 to be found in Abyssinia also, only during the rainy season, in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Adowa and in the lowlands of the Takazze." 



M. Bojor observed it at Zanzibar, and Dr. Kirk sent home specimens 

 from Melinda and Usambara in J*]astern Africa. Dr. R. Buhm says it is 

 " common on the coast of Zanzibar, and near Kakoma, not, however, in 

 particularly large numbers. They prefer to live in patches of veiy tall 

 grass on fallow ground or (not only at night) on marshes. Killed here 

 in its transition plumage in the first half of February. I found and 

 received nests of three to five eggs from the beginning of April (on 

 April 11 featherless nestlings), until now, the second half of May. I 

 saw several nests, some with young birds quite close together in very 

 tall, thick grass. 



"As long as the Fire-Finches wear their ordinary brown plumage, they 

 fly about in such close company with Ploceus sangninirostins that a shot 

 sent into the closel3'-flying swarm regnlai'ly brings down a number of 

 specimens of both kinds (Mdaburu in Ugogo). At eventide these flocks 

 settle among the reeds of almost dried-up swamps to drink and sleep. 

 From every direction, first singly, then in evei'-increasing numbers, the 

 flocks come with a particularly rapid and loudly whirring flight, wheeling 

 around closely packed together, with precipitate movements like a flock of 

 grey plover, to and fro, then sinking down noiselessly into neighbouring- 

 bushes, where they begin their confused noise, which ever increases then 

 decreases. Hence they fling themselves among the reeds, then back into 

 the bushes, and soon increase so much in force that their ascent resembles 

 distant thunder in quite a deceptive way. The masses thus gradually 

 advance to the border of open lakes, and then throw themselves on to the 

 water from suitable spots where the clumps of reeds are bent downwai'ds 

 in the form of a terrace owing to their constantly being used for this 

 purpose ; here they fly up and down for a long period, forming an 

 unbroken stream. If one hid oneself in one of the thick bushes into 

 which the birds were accustomed to fly, one felt a considerable compression 

 of the air when the flocks flew towards and into it like a living wall ; and 

 if one goes through the reeds when it is dark, black, noisy waves, formed 



