The Red-faced Weaver-hird. 143 



stowed upon them by that distinguished naturalist, in conse- 

 quence of their sombre appearance ; for they are really not at 

 all widow-like, but, on the contrary, rather gay, and, if not 

 exactly vivacious in manner, yet not quite as quiet and sub- 

 dued as a mourning widow is popularly supposed to be. 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



THE EED -FACED WEAVER-BIED. 



IOXCE, and once only, possessed two of these birds, which 

 had been sold to me for a pair, but turned out to be two 

 males, and I found them the most indefatigable constructors 

 of neat toy nests I ever saw. 



They were small birds, about the size of the Greater Red- 

 poll, or Siskin, and when out of colour bore a great resem- 

 blance to a hen House Sparrow : but when they assumed their 

 summer dress, the ordinary brown and black of their feathers 

 became intensified, and a ring of deep red made its appearance 

 round their beaks. 



I am not quite certain of their identity, but imagine them 

 to have been a variety of the Red -headed IVeaver, Ploceus 

 erythrops, der rothkopfge Welervogel of the Germans, and la 

 Dioche d, tete rouge of the French. Unfortunately they did 

 not remain very long in my possession, for, having sent them 

 to one of the bird shows at the Crystal Palace, someone took 

 a fancy to them, and, in spite of the supposed prohibitive 

 price I had placed upon them, became their purchaser. 



"While they were with me I fed them on canary and millet, 

 with a few mealworms now and then, and they seemed in 

 capital health and spirits. 



All the Weavers are natives of Southern Africa, except one 

 species found in Madagascar, Ploceus Madagascariends, which 



