The Oologists' Record, September 1, 1923. 65 



Weaver Birds and Finches. — Mr. Stuart Baker tells us that 

 the forthcoming Hand-list of the Birds of the world will group the 

 Weaver Birds and the Finches in one family. Long ago Dr. 

 Reichenow took the Sociable Weaver Bird, Philetairus sociiis, from 

 the Weavers and placed it among the Finches, 



The Oxpeckers.— Mr. E. V. M. Lewis, in a letter just received 

 from Natal, saj^s he has again seen one of these elusive birds. " It 

 was perched on the withers of a horse I was driving with several 

 " others. It clung on to the mane with its claws and just raised 

 " its head over the horse and kept an eye on me. When I went 

 " round to the other side of the horse (about 25 yards off) it would 

 " hop back again to the opposite side of the horse, still maintaining 

 " its grip on the mane, and alwaj's keeping the horse between it 

 " and me. It allowed me to drive the horses into the kraal while 

 " still remaining perched on the animal, and later flew away. 

 " It was of the Red-billed variety, B. erythrorhyncha. I recently 

 " had a chat with a resident of this locality, who is — by the way — • 

 " no ornithologist, regarding Oxpeckers. He said that some 16 

 " year ago there used to be a great number about here and they used 

 " to nest in his cattle kraal, and their nests and eggs were as common 

 " as any other bird's. He is not mistaken in this, I feel sure, as 

 " many natives state that these birds were very common then, but 

 " that since East Coast Fever broke out amongst the cattle here and 

 " the cattle had to be dipped in poisonous water to kill the ticks, 

 " these birds have disappeared. This may have been due either to 

 " the fact of the ticks on the animals (and on which these birds 

 " feed) becoming poisonous, and thus in turn poisoning the birds, 

 " or that the killing off of the ticks has made them so scarce that 

 " the birds have gone elsewhere to seek their favourite food." 



NESTING OF THE CURLEW SANDPIPER. 



One or two subscribers having asked where information as to 

 records of the nesting of the Curlew Sandpiper could be obtained, 

 we have referred them to Miss M. D. Haviland's too Httle-known 

 work, " A Summer on the Yenesei," pubhshed by Messrs. Arnold. 

 We believe the book can still be obtained from the publishers at 

 the published price of 10s. Qd., but, for the benefit more particularly 



