490 ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCHES 



of the bill, which distance is 1,2 cm. in H. hrachypiera 

 and 1,5 cm. in H. ocularia. 



This species lives not gregarious like most of the wea- 

 vers do , and is but sparingly found in brushwood and 

 neighbouring rice-farms. 



Iris yellowish white, bill black, feet flesh-color. 



The nests of this species have , like those of H. ocula- 

 ria ^ the shape of a large retort, hanging, with the open 

 end downward, from boughs in thickets about 8' above 

 the ground. They are very skilfully woven from long, 

 elastic fibres and certainly the texture is one of the most 

 solid and the most artificial of all weavers nests I ever 

 examined. One of three collected nests contained 2 eggs. 

 They are dirty white and all over, especially on their 

 thicker pole, sprinkled with reddish brown. Length 2,1 

 cm., width 1,4 cm.; found I4tt of November. 



Hy phantornis text or. 



Oriolus textor et Loxia melanocephala , Gm. Syst. Nat. 

 pp. 390 & 859. 



Hyphantornis textor, Hartl. Oru. W. Afr. p. 124. 



Hab. West Africa , from Senegambia to the Gaboon. 



Collected with nests and eggs at Robertsport. 



Iris orange , bill of adult blackish horn-color , of young 

 pale horn-color; feet flesh-color. 



This species is , with H, castaneofusca , the commonest 

 weaver in Liberia , and like the latter lives in large colo- 

 nies together , in the crowns of huge Cotton-trees and iso- 

 lated Oil- and Cocoa-palms, even among the Negro habi- 

 tations. There can be seen sometimes more than a hundred 

 nests in the same tree, all belonging to one colony. In 

 the village of Robertsport I saw this species , together with 

 H. castaneofusca, united in one colony, not only breeding 

 in the same tree, but their nests mixed with each other. As 

 they had taken possession of a tolerably low tree , I could 

 easily observe them with the aid of m^ spyglass. They 



N^otes from tlie I^eyden JMuseum Vol. VII, 



