Weavers. 267 



The Abyssinian Weaver (Hyphantoruis abyssimcus) is 

 the larg-est and handsomest of the group, and is a great nest buil- 

 der. Dr. Butler in his Foreign Bird Keeping confuses it with the 

 Black-headed Weaver (H. melanocephaJns) a bird not much 

 more than half its size. Dr. Russ also api)ears to mix it up with 

 the Rufous-necked (H . cncnllatus). T\\q Abyssinian Weaver is 

 bright yellow and black, and has no chestnut colour about it 

 whatever. It builds a large snail-shaped nest, over water where 

 this is present ; the entrance hole is at the bottom; this is length- 

 ened out when the hen is incubating, forming a neck two or 

 three inches long. Three eggs are laid, these being white 

 thickly sprinkled with pale pink spots, but I have no doubt that 

 they vary very much with different hens. A young one was 

 hatched here, but was not fully reared. (B.N. vol. v, N.S.). 



The Rufous-necked Weaver, a bird of equal size, having 

 the nape and back of neck chestnut, but without the black on 

 the back, so striking a feature of the Abyssinian, builds a similar 

 nest. I have never succeeded in getting hens for my males. 



The Olivaceous Weaver (H. olivaceus) an equally large 

 bird, has the face brown, but no black or chestnut about it. Its 

 eyes are white, whereas the iris in the last two birds is red. This 

 bird built many very finely woven nests in one of my aviaries, 

 and finally mated with a small hen, rearing two hybrids in 191 3 

 (see B.N. vol. iv, N.S.) I think that it is an extremely rare bird. 



The Black-headed Weaver (H. mclanoccphahis), a very 

 common bird, is much smaller. It is a greenish yellow in colour 

 with a black head and no chestnut; iris red. The hen is of a 

 much darker green than any of my other small weavers, its iris 

 also is red, all the other hens having brown eyes. These birds 

 have twice nested over the water in my aviary, the nest being 

 shaped like those of the larger weavers. The eggs, two in num- 

 ber, were buff, resembling miniature partridge eggs. On each 

 occasion they proved to be infertile. This bird has bred in 

 captivity, but very few particulars were published. 



The Golden Weaver (Siiagra galbula) a denizen of the 

 Cape, is a very brightly coloured bird, having the crown of the 

 head, breast and lower parts bright yellow; forehead and throat 

 black. These nested two or three times with me, the nest being 



