Birds from Britisli East Africa. 480 



back along the bough and then began to softly whistle the 

 most melodious notes, the hen ail the time busily preening 

 herself. What would have happened next I cannot tell, as 

 I made a slight movement, and both birds at once flew oft' 

 into thick cover. 



11. Vidua principalis. Pin-tailed Whydah. 

 Vidua principalis (L.). 



Iris brown ; bill pink ; legs brown. 



Small flocks of Pin-tailed Whydahs were seen, always in 

 the vicinity of water ; one male appeared to be accompanied 

 by about fifteen females. They are fond of sitting on the 

 tops of tall reeds, and the males look very funny when the 

 wind catches their extraordinary tails and blows them about, 

 so that they only keep their perches with difliciilty. Of the 

 four males obtained three were in full breeding-plumage. 



12. Penthetrta laticauda. Red-naped Whydah. 

 Penthetria laticauda (Licht.). 



Iris brown; bill black; legs brown, 



The Red-naped Whydah was only obtained near the 

 native shambas in the Reserve at Kallima Theki, and was 

 by no means common there ; on April 12th two males were 

 shot which were both in mottled plumage. 



13. Drepanoplectes jacksoni. Jackson's Whydah. 

 Drepanoplectes jacksoni, Sharpe. 



Bill pale brown ; iris brown ; legs brown. 



Jackson's Whydah was very common at Naivasha and a 

 long series was obtained, the males varying enormously in 

 the extent of the development of the breeding-plumage ; by 

 March 9th the majority were in nearly full dress, though on 

 the 12th I shot two males out of one flock, one of which was 

 still entirely in its mottled brown plumage, while the other 

 was in very nearly full breeding-plumage. Parties of forty or 

 fifty females were generally accompanied by seven or eight 

 males. This species makes rather remarkable playing-grounds 

 for itself, though I only saw the males using them ; each 

 playground is round and generally rather more than two 



