138 BIRD ARCHITECTS 



First of all comes the Green-backed Bush- Warbler (Cama- 

 roptera olivacea), or Tailor-Bird, as it is appropriately called 

 in Grahamstown. It is olive-green on the upper parts, 

 except the crown of the head, which is grey, the latter being 

 also the colour of the under parts, excepting the centre of 

 the abdomen and under tail-coverts, which are white. 



It inhabits the thick bush and forest regions, ranging 

 from George in the Cape Province eastwards and northwards. 



It constructs a neat purse or semi-dome-shaped nest of 

 fibres and fern stems lined externally with moss and in- 

 ternally with vegetable down. It is situated in a low thick 

 bush, and has the leaves in the immediate vicinity of the 

 nest stitched to it with line fibre-like flax from seed-pods, 

 &c, and cobwebs. It lays three pure white eggs. 



This Warbler is sometimes called the Bush-goat on account 

 of the plaintive goat-like call which the bird gives utter- 

 ance to. 



The Crombec (Sylviella nifescens), known to the farmers as 

 the Stomp-stertjo (Stump-tail), is ash-grey above and tawny- 

 buff below. Its range is extensive, the bird being found 

 throughout the Cape, to the Transvaal, Zululand, Mashona- 

 land and South- West Africa. It frequents the mimosa scrub, 

 building a pretty pendent nest of dry stalks and leaves, 

 woven together with cobwebs, and lays two or three white 

 eggs with a ring of brown and purple spots round the 

 blunt end. 



The Black-chested Wren-Warbler (Prinia flavicans) is 



brown above, eyebrow, throal and cheeks white, under 

 surface lighl yellow, with a dark brown band across the 

 breasl . 



It builds a Light, artistic, oval-shaped nest of fine grass, 

 beautifully woven, with a domed side entrance near the top, 



