'200 



FOEEIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



black; eyelid, base of cheeks and throat black, the 

 latter bounded by an orange suffusion Which extends 

 on to the fore-neck; remainder of under surface bright 

 yellow, more olive on sides and flanks; under wing- 

 coverts and nxillaries with greyish liases; quills below 

 ashy with whitish inner edges; beak black; feet e'aty 

 grey; iridcs yellowish brown. Female differs m the 

 olive-yellow extending over the crown to the forehead 

 and tile throat being yellow of a jaler colour than the 

 breast ; beak black ; feet pale bluish grey ; indes pale 

 stone-colour. Hab., Seneganibia to Gaboon. 



Captain Shellev publi.<-hes the following field-notes 

 (" Birds of Africa"," Vol. IV., Part 2, pp. 390, 391) : — 

 "The nest, according to Dr. Reichenow, is suspended 

 at a short distance from the ground U> a twig or the 

 leai of a young paJni, is oval, with a long entrance 

 passage hanging down of .some 7.5 inches long, and the 

 body of the nest measured 4.75 by 5.25. Dr. Reichenow 

 found a nest on November 14th, in Lilienia, containing 

 two eggs of a dirty white, sjirinkled all over, especially 

 at the° thicker end. w::th reddish brown. The ne^l 

 was most solidly and artistically constructed of long 

 elastic fibre;: and was hung at a height of some eight 

 feet from the ground." 



" Mr. Kemp found the species common at Rot ifunk 

 and Bo, and niiit^s : 'They were much lighter sleepers 

 than S'permestes ouiullatus and ,S'. frhigilloirlei', who 

 loosted in an adjoining tree, and when aroused at night 

 the flutter of their wings agai:nst the leaves made a 

 noise like a waterfall. A palm tree in the st;ition 

 yard bore considerably more than a hundred of their 

 nests and was the s,cene of great excitement in the 

 mornings and evenings. During and after the rains 

 these Weavers assemble sometimes in quite large flocks 

 and fly together after the manner of Starlings, turning 

 and twisting in the air, changing from yellow to gree-n 

 as their breasts or backs become most exposed to view.' " 



Russ fay^ that this Weaver has only been imported 

 extremelyVarcly by Hagenbeck, Gudera, and Jamrach ; 

 it has, however, been in evidence several times at the 

 Berlin Aquarium and the Berlin Zoological Gardens. It 

 haa also been ex-hibited more than once in the Ixrndon 

 Z'-.'ological Gardens. 



Masked Weaver [Sitagrn monwha). 



Generail colour above oliveyellow, miore orange on 

 back of crown and niaipe ; ru.mp and upper tail-coverts 

 brighter yellow ; scapulars with blackish centres ; wing- 

 coverts and inner secondaries .«iimilar, but with narrower 

 yellow margins; tail-feathers pale greenish-brown 

 edged externally with olive-yellow and inteiTially with 

 pale yellow ; orown yellow with the forehead broadly 

 black ; sides of head and throat black ; sides of neck 

 and remainder of nnder surface bright golden yellow ; 

 flights belcw d.u.sky, with yellow inner edges ; beak 

 black ; feet groyi.sh brown ; irides brown. Female 

 wiithout black on head, which is golden yellow like the 

 under suj-f uce ; hind crown and nape olive yellow like 

 the Iwck. Hab., Gold Coast to the Congo. 



Captain Shelley observes (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., 

 Part 2. pp. 396, 397):— "When I was on the Gold 

 Coast I found the species well known there as the Palm- 

 birds, and tihe nests, I believe, of this fipeaies were 

 suspended from beneath the leaves of the coconnut 

 palms, as many as four or five hanging from one 

 frond. These nests were oval with a short entrance 

 pas.sage, and were slenderly but strongly built, 

 apparently of shreds of the palm leaves, and wen; of a 

 pale browni.sh buff, so they may have been budt the 

 previous year." 



" In Camaronne Dr. Reichenow found these Weavers 

 plentiful at Wuri aUmg the river bank, suspending their 

 nests from twig.s or glass stalks i>verhanging the water, 

 and Mr. Sjustedt found them also in abundance at 

 Bibundi, avoiding the thick bu.-;h, :uid he took a nest 

 in August c mtaining two pure white eggs. The eggs 

 measiure 0.7 by 0.62." 



Tlie London Zoological Gardens api>ear to have 

 ]X)ssessed a fair number of siHX:imens of this Weaver; 

 but, in the Society's list, Abys.=iinia is given as the 

 locality (which is not probable) and pcrsnnaia Vieillot-— 

 a sjnionym of .S'. hUenla — as the name. As .S'. lutenla is 

 also entered in the list on another page it is probable 

 that the Masked Weavers which are recorded were 

 West African birds and represented 5. monacha. 



Yellowish We.wer {sSilagra lutenla). 



Nearly related to the preceding, but with less black 

 on the "front of the crown ; the hind-crown and nape 

 olive-yellowif-ih, the upper pints with faint dusky 

 centres to the feathers, the median and greater wing- 

 coverts lx)rdered with pale yellow or white, .as also the 

 inner secondaries ; beak black ; feet horn brownish ; 

 irides burnt-sienna. Female witih no black in the 

 plumage ; above mostly ashy brown, washed with yellow 

 on the forehead, crown, back of neck, rump and upper 

 rail-ooverts ; the mantle with dusky centres to the 

 feathers ; eyeibiow, sides of head and throat pale 

 yellow ; breast white mottled •with yellow ; under tail- 

 coverts pale yellow; beak blackish. Hab., Seneganibia 

 to the Red Sea and .si,uthward to Kavirondo. (Shelley.) 



The following note on the habits is from Shelley's 

 "Birds of Africa." Vol. IV., Part 2, p. 398:— Mr. Jes'se 

 found these Weavere breeding early in August. The 

 nest was oval with a long tubujlar entrance, and con- 

 tained two white eggs. According to Heuglin they 

 assume their bright plumage in May, commence breed- 

 ing about the middle of July, and the young are able 

 to fly in October and November. They live mostly in 

 pairs, usually frequenting the watercourses in wooded 

 di.«trictF, avoiding the more de.sert parts. The nest 

 is sm.ill. of an elongated oval fonii, ligihtly constructed 

 of shred.s of leaves or bark, with a little hair or coltoT 

 for a lining, and is suspended from the twigs, generally 

 of nn acacia tree, at some twenty feet from the ground. 

 The eggs, two or three in number, are pure white, 

 mensurini 0.68 by 0.48." 



Dr. Russ speaks of this bird as quite a rarity in 

 captivity, yet he succeeded in securing it for his bird- 

 room, where it constructed several nests. I have seen 

 it exhibited more than once at bird-shows, and our 

 London Zoological Society has had a good many 

 specimens. I know that -the late Mr. Abrahamst used 

 to receive it, and I have seen it one© or twice in other 

 bird-shops, so that in England it ciaji be no great rarit.y. 



Olive We-^ver {Sitagrn rapcn.-'i.s). 



General colour of male above olive-yellow, the back 

 streaked with brown ; wings brown, the feathers edged 

 with olive-vellow ; tail olive-brown, the feathers edged 

 with yellow ; he:id golden yellow ; under surface bright 

 yellow, the throat tinfied with olive; axillaries and 

 under wing coverts ashv-brovvn ; margin of wing 

 yellow : beak black ; feet flesh-coloured ; irides light 

 red. Female duller, the head coloured like the back ; 

 cheeks and under surface olive-yellow, washed here and 

 there with brighter yellow ; beak brown ; irides hazel. 

 Hab.. Western Cajie Colony, northward to the Orange 

 River, and eastward to Algoa Bay. 



Dr. Stark (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., pp. 69- 

 70) gives the following account of the wild life : — "This 



