19^ 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



mandibles ; feet black ; irides dark brown. Female brown, 

 pale on upper surface of body and marked with broad 

 blacki.sh- brown centres to the feathers, which are less 

 defined on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing and 

 tail-feathers blackish-brown edged with pale brown ; 

 the median coverts tinged with orange; the lesser 

 ■coverts orange centred with black ; sides of head and 

 under sur/ace brownish buff ; a broad whity-brown 

 eyebrow stripe ; a blackish strijie from the gape to the 

 ear-coverts, which are also blackish along the upper and 

 lower edges ; flanks with ill defined dark-brown shaft- 

 stripes ; under wing-coverts cinnamon ; beak and feet 

 pale brown ; irides brown. Male in winter dress 

 differing from the female in its orange-vermilion lesser 

 toverts and black flight and tail feathers. Hab.," South 

 Africa east of about 25 deg. E. long., and south of 

 10 deg. S. lat." (Shelley). 



Stark (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., pp. 135, 136) 

 gives the following interesting account of the habits of 

 the species : — In the lower parts of Natal these Widow 

 Birds are common on the grass veldts, especially tho.se 

 that border on reedy vleis or marshy ground, where the 

 grass grows luxuniantly. Like all the members of the 

 genus, tlvey are polygamous in their habits, and in 

 s.pring the handsome males, looking very brilliant and 

 spruce in tlieir recently acquired plumage of velvety- 

 black, 'wit-h scarlet and orange epaulettes, may be .seen 

 flitting over the reeds or grass with a curious "flopping" 

 flight, each one attended and closely followed in all his 

 moveanents by ten or twelve females, insignificant- 

 lookdng little brown birds, which nearly always keep 

 close together in a " bunch" a few yards behind their 

 lord and ma.ster. About the beginning of November 

 the females separate and commence building their nests. 

 These are never very close together, although they are 

 all within a certain district that the male seems to look 

 upon as his own exclusive property, and from which he 

 drives other males of his kind, as well as those of the 

 much larger and stronger C'oHinijmsser prorni, who, 

 hampered by their long tails, stand no chance in a fight 

 with their smaller but mnch more active antagonist. 

 Eioh ftmile builds and occupies a separate nest. Duidng 

 the time .she is sitting the ni;iJe stations himself on a 

 tall weed somewhere near the centre of his harem, and 

 "keeps a sharp look-out for intruders, occasionally flying 

 round to see how matters are progressing at his various 

 establi.>--hments. Should a man or other dangerous 

 ■enemy approach, he flies to each nest in succession with 

 a warning note, upon which tho sitting females leave 

 their nests, creep under tlie grass for some yards, then 

 rise on the wing to follow him to a distance. The nest, 

 usually built in the centre of a tuft of grass from eight 

 inches to a foot off the ground, is a beautifully light 

 and airy structure, oval in shape and domed, with a side 

 entrance near the top ; it measures about four inches 

 and a half in height and three inches in diameter, is 

 constructed of fine grass, with the flowering tops 

 attached, woven in a sort of open network, .=o that the 

 sides can be seen through, without any additional lining. 

 The sides of the nest are attached to many of the sur- 

 rounding grass-stalks, the blades and tops of the latter 

 lieing bent over in the foim of a canopy so as to com- 

 •pletely concpjil it from above. The eggs, laid towards 

 the eiid of December, are three in number. They have 

 a highly polishe<l surface of a clear i^-a-green, marked 

 -with large spots and blotches of deep olive-brown. They 

 measure 0.80 by 0.58. 



" These Widow Birds fee<l largely on insects, includ- 

 ing gra-sshoppers, locusts, mantides, and termites, also 

 upon various seeds, especially small grass-seeds. In 

 winter the old and yomng birds form good-sized flocks, 

 Tint never seem to wander far from their breeding 

 station." 



Russ says : — " On two occasions, in tie course of 

 time, I acquired it from Ch. Jimrach, of Ix)ndon, 

 without, however, being able in its miserable condition 

 to keep it alive. Then I saw it in the Berlin Aquarium 

 and in the Zoological Gardens of Cologne and Berlin, 

 but each time only a male in imperfect breeding- 

 plumage and with an uncertain tenure of life."* 



This .species has also been represented in the li\-dng 

 collection of the London Zoological Society. 



Orangk-shoulderkd Whydah (Urobrarhya bocagii). 



Black, with the exception of the ohrome-yellow lesser 

 wing-coverts, pale cinnamon median and greater coverts, 

 buff bases to primaries showing also in front of under 

 wing-coverts; beak whitish grey; feet black; irides 

 brown. Hab., Portuguese West Africa between the 

 Quanta and Cunene Rivers. 



The winter plumage of the male and the female appear 

 not to have been recognised hitherto, and all that 

 appears to be known of its life is that Anchieta, who 

 obtained it at Cacondu and Huilla, says that it is called 

 by the natives the " Quicengo " in the former place and 

 the "Lile" in the latter. Of the closely-related 

 Mechow's Whydah no field-notes exist. 



U. boragii is recorded among the soecies which have 

 been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. 



The Weavers. 



All who delight in hardy birds of brilliant plumage 

 are sure to admire the Weavers; indeed, I find an 

 aviary devoted to various species of these birds a great 

 attraction to visitors. 



If supplied with plenty of hay the Weavers, when in 

 colour, will .'^pend the greater part of th^ir time in 

 building their marvellous nests. These vary in charac- 

 ter from the ordinary Viduine type to a purse-shape, or 

 to a form resembling a gigantic snail-shell with the 

 opening directed downwards in the Plocein;e. 



In the case of aJl Weavers which construct delicate- 

 looking nests of open strongly plaited grasses or hay, 

 the eggs are coloured ; but in those stoutly and densely 

 formed, as, for instance, tho.=e of the various Oriental 

 races of Baya Weavers, which are so dense as to almost 

 exclude the light, the eggs are pure white. Even the 

 flimsy-looking nests are always extremely strong, and 

 difficult to pull to pieces. 



It is, I think, quite conceivable that the Viduine 

 Weavers and Whydahs are descended from Melopjirrha, 

 but the Ploceine Weavers from Passer. There is not 

 the least reason why two or more branches of the 

 FringiHid stock should not become modified in the 

 same direction, and, by a shortening of thie coverts of 

 the bastard primary come to be associated in one family 

 by systematists. 



The males of Viduine Weavers are usually the sole 

 architects of the nests. As a rule, the males of the 

 Fire Weavers build, but I possess a nest which was 

 entirely formed by the hen, proving that both .sexes 

 are equally capable. It is po.ssible, I think, that some, 

 at least, "of these birds may be polygamous. In the 

 Ploceine Weavers the males build the gi-eater part of 

 the no.st, and are then assisted by their hens. 



Altliough such inveterate nest-builders, the Weavers 

 rarely breed successfully in captivity. Tlie explanation 

 of this probably is that the various species are u.-iually 

 kept in one aviary together. The best chance of suc- 

 ceeding would be to keep one male Weaver with several 

 hens in an aviary supplied with plenty of cover and 

 natural branches. 



The songs of Weavers are by no means pleasing. 



• R>iB9 considered Urobrachya to be s link between the Whydahs 

 and Fire Weavers. 



