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Mr. G. E. Rattican,



NESTING OF SPOTTED-BACKED WEAVERS.


By G. E. Rattigan.


Seeing Mr. Holden’s interesting article in the November

number of the Avicultural Magazine, I thought that perhaps it

might be of interest to some of your readers if I also gave my

experiences on the nest of Spotted-backed Weavers (Hyphantornis

spilonotus).


This year (1910), unfortunately, I have been cpiite un¬

successful in my attempts to breed them, but in 1909 I was

successful enough up to a point, though I never succeeded in

actually rearing any to maturity.


Taking my experiences of 1909 first. My birds paired off

about the end of March, but although the cock built several

unfinished nests, he invariably pulled them down again when he

had reached a certain stage in their construction. The hen during

this period (from, roughly, the end of March till the second week

in June) took no part whatever in the construction of the nests,

but merely perched on a twig beneath the cock, apparently

taking a kind of languid interest in his proceedings. At the end

of the period named, however, I noticed the hen for the first time

carrying a leaf to a nest that had a more finished and workman¬

like appearance than any I have hitherto seen. The cock bird,

too, seemed even more excited than usual, and was working away

at the outside of the nest as if his very life depended on his

getting it finished as quickly as possible. I went in and had a

look at the nest, which was suspended from the wires at the

highest part of the aviary, and discovered that it was being lined

by the hen with bay leaves and feathers. She seemed, by the way,

to have a marked preference for the tail feathers of some un¬

fortunate Budgerigars that were in the aviary, and had pulled the

tails out of practically all of them. However, I quickly supplied

her with some loose feathers and this saved the remainder.


The hen continued to line the nest for a day or two weav¬

ing the leaves and feathers into the interior ot the nest with

extraordinary skill, while the cock confined himself strictly to

strengthening the outside, (though it was the latter that also

constructed the kind of bar stretching across the interior at the



