Orn}f/iolo(/y of the Mafopo District. 553 



streams where there are rush-beds in which to roost at 

 nij;ht — hut I fouiul it a much rarer bird in the hills. I 

 have noticed it feeding in the meahe-lands in company with 

 the next species, and the quantity of noxious weed-seeds 

 which these little birds consume is incalculable. 



167. Estrilda subflava. Orange-breasted VVaxbill. 



The Orange-breasted Waxbill is common, but somewhat 

 locally distributed. Like so many of our smaller birds it is 

 evidently double-brooded, as I shot young birds in February, 

 when this Waxbill was found in the willow bushes along the 

 streams in small family parties, and towards the end of 

 March I noticed them in pairs ; but it was not until the 

 19th and 20th of April that I found nests. Altogether I 

 saw five nests with clutches of five eggs, two of four, and 

 many others incomplete. A clutch of three eggs found oti 

 the 19th was on the point of hatching. All these nests 

 were placed in rushes close to the water, except one 

 which was built in " black jack " and ten or fifteen yards 

 from water. This Waxbill favours the same situations as 

 the Red Fink for nesting purposes, and builds nests of 

 very much the same design and construction outwardly. 

 The nest is usually attached in four separate places, and 

 in each case is firmly bound to three or four rushes. The 

 domed nest is composed of fairly coarse grass and lined 

 with finer grass, and with a more or less copious addition 

 of feathers. One which I measured was 5 x 2| inches, 

 with a round entrance li inch in diameter; whilst a second 

 was 4^ X 3 inches with a 1 j inch entrance. In several nests 

 examined, the primary lining of fine grass was left pro- 

 truduig from the roof of the nest through the entrance, thus 

 forming a good porch. 



When flushed, the sitting bird, almost invariably quickly 

 followed by its mate (which is somewhere hidden close at 

 hand, skulking in the rushes), flies away a short distance 

 uttering a soft plaintive twitter. Some nestlings examined 

 were very dark-skinned, and had three little patches of white 

 down on the head, spine, and rump. It is interesting to 

 compare this species with Pijromelana orisc in this respect. 



