Birds of Southern Kamerun. 53 



with the little prisoner in it, besides two eggs. This nest was 

 of the water-bottle shape already described under Sjjermestes 

 poensis, but was composed entirely of fine grass-tops, with 

 no Usnea. The girl found it set in the forks of a shrub 

 at about the height of her shoulders from the ground. 

 Another nest at Efulen, which I have good reason to think 

 belonged to Estrilda atricapiUa, was very curious iu that it 

 was double. Above was a water-bottle-shaped, nest like that 

 just described, and it was empty. Below was an addition 

 pressed against the main nest like a small growing onion 

 flattened against a larger. The addition had an entrance 

 of its own, and contained five little white eggs. It seemed 

 to be used for breeding-purposes, while the main nest was 

 used merely for a sleeping-place, probably by several birds. 



Different reasons make me think that in this and other 

 Spermestince several of the little hen birds lay in the same 

 nest. The five eggs just mentioned were all fresh, and if one 

 bird had laid them all the first would already be somewhat 

 incubated. The nests are extremely large for such small 

 birds, and Avould probably he built by several in partnership. 

 Five and six (note the six young of Spermestes poensis above) 

 is an unusually large number to be the brood of one small 

 bird in this country. 



The two eggs brought by the little girl mentioned above 

 measured 1 3 x 10 mm. The five eggs from the double nest 

 were just like them, but a trifle longer — 1 1-14'5 mm. long 

 by 10-10-5 broad. 



[Five eggs are of a rather long and perfectly oval form, 

 pure white and. ahnost devoid of gloss. — O.-G.] 



1539. Vtdua SERENA. [Bcndenga-Oscsang.] 



Sharpe, Ibis, 1908, p. 343. 



Though found Avlierever I have collected much, this Widow- 

 bird is nowhere abundant. Even the breeding males have 

 not been seen very often, and of course the others attract 

 very little attention. Whenever I have seen the plain birds 

 they have been mingled in the flocks of little Estrilda. 



The breeding males fly with much jerking of their long 



