WEAVERS. 



151 



OHAP'iKR XII. 



WEAVERS {Ploceidm). 



Waxbii.i.s [KxIrUdiiKf). 



This 5ub family was erected by ('attain Shelley t<> 

 contain those We^ivinjr Kriclics which posse-ss no distinct 

 winter plumage, and was intended to embrace the whole 

 of the W'axbills, (Jrasstiiuhes, .and Mannikins. Un- 

 happily there i.s one Wa.xbill — the Indian Amaduvade, 

 or Avadavat — which possesses a very well define<l winter 

 plumage. I think, therefore, while .adopting the sub- 

 family, it would be better to restrict it to the Waxbills, 

 and define it as containing long slender Finches with 

 t.apering cone-shaiwd beaks; the males when courting 

 pointing their beaks .straight upwards to the sky; the 

 Grassfincbes and Miuinikins I would distinguish as 

 iluniiniv. 



Dufhksne's Waxbill (Cnrropi/ijia dufresnii). 



Entire top of head and nape leaden grey ; mantle 

 yellowish, olive, indLstinctly barred with dull greyi.sh ; 

 lower back and upper tail-coverts orange-vermilion to 

 bright tawny ; wing smoky blackish, the feathers, esjje- 

 ciaily the secondaries, externaJly edged with olive; 

 central tail-feathers black, the others smoky brown, 

 paler next to .shafts and partly frinwd with whitish ; 

 fide^ of head from just .above eve. int'luding cheeks, ear- 

 coverts, chin, and throat, jet black ; bordered behind 

 from sides of neck across low**r throat with whit* 

 which shades off into soixlid paie grey behind, the 

 whole breast and flanks being of this colour : abdomen, 

 thighs, and under tail-covejts jiale huffish, brighter just 

 behind the bre.ast ; upper mandible black, lower crim- 

 son ; feet black ; irides bright red. Female without 

 black on head, which is leaden grey, fa<ling to white on 

 chin and th.ioat. Hab., S. Africa from the Cape to 

 the Zambesi. 



According to Capt. Shelley {" Birds of Africa," Vol. 

 IV., Part 1, i>p. 234-5), ".\1t. Atmore .says that it is 

 common at Greorge, wherever there is cultivation ; it is 

 restless in its habits and migratory, appearing in 

 autumn." 



Mr. Stark says (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., 

 p. 108) : — " In Natal this pretty little species is, when 

 not breeding, usually met with in small parties of ten 

 or twelve, feeding on the ground on grass-seeds. When 

 searching for food they keep close together, and con- 

 stantly utter a sharp, chii-ping call-not*. If disturbed 

 they rise simultaneously with a prolonged 'chirrup' 

 and fly for a short dist-ance to settle again on the 

 ground. This Waxbill breeds in Natal not uncom- 

 monly, but not, .=o far as I have observed, near the 

 coast. Not far from Httwick, at a height of about 

 3,000 feet I have met with their nests in .some numbers. 

 Unlike many of the Waxbills, they build in tall bushes 

 and young trees, at a height of from six to ten feet. 

 The nests are rough-looking, oval etnictm-es, with an 

 entrance hole on one side, constructed of fine dry grass. 

 The flowerino; ends of the grass bein^ woven together, 

 the stiff stalks are left projecting in all directions. 

 The interior is lined with grass tops, down, and 

 feathers. The eggs are very small, pure white in 

 colour, and four or five in number. When first hatched 

 the young are fed on small caterpillars." 



Hagenbeck. of Hamburg, first received this bird in 

 1869, and in 1874 both Hagenbeck and Jamrach received 

 it. Dr. Russ obtained two males from the former 

 dealer in that year ; later again he succeeded in 

 securing two pairs, but he says that they were disea.sed 

 when he received them and soon died ; this appears 



to be freiiuently the case with this lovely little bird, 

 which when first im[)orted is very delicate, and as it 

 is by no means cheap, I have not been tempted to 

 purchase it. Of late years it has been imjiorted by 

 Mr. Hamlyn and others. It h:is been exhibited at the 

 ZcKilogicalCJardens of I/ondon for many years. I shall 

 not forget the indignation of the late" Mr. Abrahams, 

 on the occasion of its first appearance at a Crystal 

 Palace Show, to find that this bird, which at that time 

 was a very great Xiirity, had been pas.sed over with a 

 v.h.c. " on account of its jterfect condition." the judge 

 said, while in the same class the males of two widely 

 different Weavers (one in winter plumage) had been 

 awarded fii-st prize as a true pair. He gave that judge 

 a very uncomfortable half-hour; so much so that I 

 believe he never again ventured to judge foreign birds. 

 I was sorry for him, too. for he was a good fellow. 

 Well, both the judge and his censor have passed away, 

 and the owner of that Waxbill only suffered as all of 

 us have done who have venture<l our birds on the show- 

 bench. 



Dr. Russ describes the Black-throated Waxbill 

 (Lnijonosticta nii/ricoUix) but I cannot discover that 

 it has ever been imported. 



Maskkd Firefinch {Larjunost'wla larvala). 



Slaty-grey above; hind neck washed with vinaceous 

 red ; fowerback, upper tail-c-overts and margins of tail- 

 feathers crimson ; tail otherwise black ; wings more 

 dusky than back, quills pale smoke-brown with ashy 

 white margins; .sides of head, chin, and throat black; 

 breast vinous red, flanks marked with black-edged 

 white sjxits ; centre of breast, aMomen, thighs, vent, 

 and under tail-coverts dull black; under wing-coverts 

 whitish, vaj-ied with vinous and grey ; beak and feet 

 slate grey ; irides dusky brown. Female not dif- 

 ferentiated. Hab., Xortli-east Africa. 



All that Captain Shelley tells us about the life of this 

 Waxbill is that Mr. Kuschel describes the egg as white 

 and measuring 0.56 by 0.43. 



The late Mr. Erskine Allon had this raro species in 

 his birdroom, and appears to have considered it rather 

 le.ss delicate than most of the other Firefinches : he 

 gave the .same trivial name to the following species, 

 but mentioned both scientific names ; otherwise, in spite 

 of the fact that he certainly possessed many rare birds, 

 one might have doubted whether L. larvala was actually 

 one of them. 



Vinaceous Firefinch {Lnijonnxtirta rirmrea). 



Vinous red above, brighter and deeper on upper tail- 

 coverts and outer edges of tail-feathers ; tail otherwise 

 dull black ; primaries, their coverts and inner webs of 

 secondaries dark brown ; crown leaden-grey with a few 

 black feathers at base of forehead ; sides of head, chin, 

 and upper throat black ; lower throat and breast vinous 

 pink grey at base of feathers ; centre of abdomen, 

 t high's, "an'd under tail-coverts dull black; some small 

 white spots on flanks ; under wing-coverts white ; inner 

 edges of quills whitish ; beak and feet leaden grey ; 

 irides brown. Female not differentiated. Hab., Sene- 

 gambia. 



Nothing appears to have been recorded respecting the 

 wild life of this si>ecies. 



Mr. .\llon had this in his birdroom, and a few ex- 



am 

 de 



iples have been imported of late years ; it was evi- 

 ntlv unknown to Buss as a cage-bird.* It was ex- 



hibited at the Palace in 1903 and 1904. 



'Mr. Seth-Smlth aaya (^AciculUiral Uariazinc, N.S. vol.11., p. 103) : 

 "These little Firefinches are more often imported than is generally 

 supposed ; I once picked out six from a lot of common Firefinches 

 in a dealer's shop." He was not sure whether they were L. larvala 

 or L. niiiacea. 



