194 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



little smaller. Hab., Senegambia to the Niger; pos- 

 sibly Benguela. 



According to Ussher it is seen at times in large 

 flocks, and affects swamps ; that is about all that is 

 known of its wild lite. It has, however, been bred in 

 Germany, so that we know it builds a cave-like nest 

 and lays four pale blue-greenish eggs. 



When in colour the male is very excitable, puffs up its 

 feathers and sings its strange song, which commences 

 with four or live clicks and then goes off into a sort 

 of hacking cough ; the bird's plumes are also shown to 

 yre;it advantage in fiiglit. which is short, jerky, abrupt, 

 and very like a clockwork toy ; between euch flight, 

 usually in pursuit of some other bird, the wings are 

 jerked up and down over the bird in a most mechanical 

 manner. 



I have never known the Napoleon Weaver to injure 

 another bird, but I had one killed in 1896 by an Orange 

 Weaver. That the species is naturally long-lived is 

 proved by the fact that a pair which I purchased in 

 1888 lived until the 21st August, 1900. One which I 



N.\poLKON Weaver. 

 (Singing to Jim with crest erected.) 



purchased in 1907 was much persecuted by a young 

 male of the Orange Weaver, which had not yet acquired 

 its breeding plumage, but nevertheless was chasing and 

 singing to the hens as well as making attempts to build 

 with any stray bits of grass or hay which it could 

 find. I have had a considerable number of specimens 

 of both species, botli males and females ; they can 

 generally, be obtained -when out of colour at about 

 three shillings a pair, or even cheaper. 

 Crimson-crowned Wb.wer (Pyromelana Aammiceps). 



The prevailing colour of the male bird in breeding 

 plumage is fiery orange-red ; the centre of the back 

 and feathers of the shoulders are glossy orange-brown ; 

 a narrow band in front of the forehead, an elongated 

 patch from the benk to the back of the cheek and en- 

 closing the eye, the chin, front of throat, chest, and 

 front of belly, velvety black : the feathers of the wings 

 and tail bUu-k, edged with white and pale buff; thighs, 

 vent, and under tail coverts, brownish orange; iris of 

 eye brown ; beak black ; feet dull flesh coloured. 



Female .above tawny reddish brown, deepest on the 

 head, each feather broadly centred with black, flights 

 blackish, the inner .>»condaries with broa<l tawny- 

 reddish brown borders, the remainder with the outer 

 edges slightly jKLler; t^il-feathe.rs blackish edged and 

 tipped with "dull tawny; sides of head pale brown, 

 slightly dn^ky at base of cheeks and upper portion of 



ear-coverts, which also show ill-defined dusky flecks; 

 a bro.id eyebrow stripe, a few feathers below eye, the 

 eyelids, sides of throat and sometimes the chin more 

 or less defined sulphur yellow ; sides of neck breast, 

 sides and flanks tawny butfish with darker streaks; 

 centre of upper throat or of entire throat, of hinder 

 breast, abdomen and under tail-coverts white ; wings 

 and tail below slaty-blackish. According to Kharpe and 

 Shelley the tawny bulHsh j>arts of the under surface are 

 streaked with blackish-brown and the under tail-coverts- 

 are rufous buff (possibly my examples may not be 

 typical) ; beak fleshy horn-brown, darker on culmen ; 

 feet flesh-pink ; irides hazel. Male in winter plumage 

 with the wings blacker than in the female. Hab., 

 "Tropical Africa generally, between 17 deg. N. lat. 

 and 18 deg. S. ranging from Senegal into Benguela on 

 the west, and from the Zambesi into Abyssinia in 

 Eastern Africa." (Shelley.) 



According to Buttikofer, " the adult males frequent 

 the tops of tlie canes, where they remain for houts, 

 quite isolated from other birds, and even from their 

 females and young ones, being apparently proud of 

 their brilliant plumage, as they are indefatigable in 

 exposing it in the most obvious manner." Captain 

 Shelley .says ("Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., Part 1, 

 p. 105) : — " These Bishop Birds are abmidant through- 

 out our Gold CV>ast possessions and in Togoland, where 

 the males assume the bright red plumage for the breed- 

 ing and rainy season, which lasts from the latter part 

 of April to the end of August. They frequent the 

 more open country, often in flocks, accompanied by 

 P. franciscana. Drs. Reichenow ard Liihder found 

 them breeding abundantly on the plains of Accra, and 

 with young in August. The nest is of the same oval 

 form as with members of the genus Hj/phantornU, but 

 is hung singly from the high grass and constructed of 

 fine grass." 



On p. 108 we read : '" The eggs, generally three in 

 number, are of a pale greenish blue, with or without 

 small reddish brown and greyish brown spots, and 

 measure on an average 0.75 in. by 0.58 in." 



Externally the nest may bear some resemblance tO' 

 those of Hyphantornis ; but the species of Pyro- 

 melana build simple domed nests with an opening in- 

 front: the species of Hyphantornis build nesjB re- 

 sembling a snail shell with the opening below. 



According to other authors this is a marsh-loving 

 species, and breeds in solitary pairs in August and 

 September, building its nest in tall grass or thickets. 

 The eggs are said to be three in number, of a verdi- 

 gris-green colour, spotted at the larger end with- 

 jiurplish black. When not breeding the species flies in 

 dense flocks amongst tlie reeds and swamps and on the 

 borders of lakes. 



Wien in colour this handsome Weaver fetches a 

 fairly high price, and I have never been fortunate 

 enough to secure a cock bird among those Weavers 

 which I have purchased in their undress uniform. Twice 

 I liave secured hens, and in 1907 I purchased what I 

 supposed to be a male out of colour, which promptly 

 died. I believe, however, that the latter is a hen of 

 P. orix. 



According to Bartlett, " The brilliant colours of the 

 male are assumed by a gradual moult of the whole of 

 the feathers, and' after the breeding season they 

 become like the females and young males." But I do- 

 not believe this to be the case: indeed. I am satisfied 

 that, as with other species of Pyromelana, only those 

 feathers which have to be replaced by long silky 

 Illumes are moulted out and that all the others gra- 

 dually assume the summer colouring, instead of being 

 moulted out. As a similar statement is made in the 



