184 Whydahs 



in full colour is also practically all black, as except for its brown 

 fli.^iits and win.^-coverts there is no other relief to the black. 



One of the chief characteristics of the Whydahs is this 

 change at the breeding- season from the plain lark-like plnniag'e 

 of the rest of the year to the very varied ornamental plumage 

 of h)ve. a change in which not only the colour of the feathers is 

 involved, but in luany genera the shape as well, at any rate as 

 far as the tail is concerned. Not only is this lengthened, — in 

 some genera as a whole, in others only the four central feathers. 

 Imt various other alterations in the shape of the feathers take 

 place, narrowing, broadening, curving etc. as the case may be. 



This colour change occurs also of course in a great many 

 other riocciilac, and is particularly Whydah-like. (except that 

 the tail is unaffected) in the Bishops, (Pyromchina), which, with 

 the allied genus OucJca, Shelley unites with the Whydahs and 

 Combasous to form his sub-family ]^iduinoc. 



The males when in full colour are attended by a regular 

 harem of females, for polygamy is the rule among these birds. 

 To these mates they show off or display in various ways, and 

 as regards some species, regular courting dances and dancing- 

 places are described, of which more will be said later on in the 

 proper place. 



These birds, and particularly their breeding in confine- 

 ment have been so much to the front in the last year or two in the 

 pages of the Magazine, that I think a resume of our knowledge 

 of the group will be of interest. Although I know some species 

 quite well both at large in their native coimtry and as cage birds 

 at home, I have nothing new to say about them and therefore 

 must draw on previous writings for my material. On the habits 

 of a few species ciuite a lot has been recorded, but in most there 

 is but little known, of others nothing. At this I do not much 

 wonder, at any rate as regards the birds which inhabit Tropical 

 Africa, for there the breeding and most interesting period is 

 for these and most other birds the rainy season, when wet and 

 insects are the chief characteristics of the country and when 

 most of the " bush " is a mass of lush tick-breeding vegetation 

 almost impassable except by cutting. One sees the birds con- 

 tinually, conspicuous as they are in their breeding dress, but 

 finding the nests is f|uite a diflFerent thing, especially when they 



