3^1 



a quaintly beautiful effect. It is well off for popular names, viz.. 

 Scaly-feathered Weaver Bird and Scaly-headed Finch, as well 

 as the one at the head of these notes. It ranges freely over 

 South Africa, being very numerous on the banks of the Orange 

 River. 



Adui<T Mai,K : Forehead and crown, brown-black with 

 each feather with a narrow whitish-brown margin ; the entire 

 upper surface of body, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, sides of 

 head and face, light brown ; remaining wing-coverts, 

 secondaries, and tail feathers, brown-black with whitish-brown 

 margins ; flights, brown with paler margins ; cheeks, throat 

 and under surface of body, white, washed with grey on the 

 sides of the breast and flanks, and on the breast with fawn- 

 colour ; beak, pinkish ; legs and feet, flesh-colour. Total 

 length 4^ inches, tail if. 



Adult Fkmai,e : .Similar, but a little smaller and not quite 

 so rich in colour. Total length 4 inches, tail I5. From various 

 writers, including Captain Shelley and vStark, we gather that 

 they are very abundant on the banks of the Orange River, and 

 congregate in small flocks, frequenting the bushes and 

 mimosa trees that fringe the river banks. On the Limpopo 

 River they are not so numerous, and build in June and July, 

 whereas on the Orange River they build in March and April. 

 While they perch freely, apparently the whole of their food 

 (grass seeds and small insects) is obtained on the ground. 

 Their disposition is active and vivacious, noisy, and when 

 feeding keep up a constant quibbling with one another. They 

 are as tame and fearless as Passer doniesticus, frequenting the 

 houses aiad kraals and feeding with the poultrx', etc. The nest, 

 an untidy looking domed structure, the entrance of which is 

 concealed by projecting grass stems, is built in a bush, from 

 three to ten feet above the ground ; it is thickly lined inter- 

 nally with feathers or down. According to Stark the eggs are 

 usually four or five in number, and vary both in shape and 

 colour ; the ground colour is pale greenish-blue and thickly 

 marked with blotches and scrawls of brown and rufous. 



A handsome cage or aviary bird. 



