tJw Transvaal Museum from JJoror. 39 



means of strips of bark from the same twigs, wbile the 

 interior, especially the roof, is thickly lined with broad 

 green leaves, and a projecting entrance leads up to the 

 chamber from below ; the nest is abnormally large for the 

 size of the bird compared with that of other Weavers. Two 

 kinds of trees difficult to climb are more favoured than 

 others by these birds, the one having smooth slippery bark 

 and the other a trunk studded with knobbed thorns, and the 

 ends of the branches to which the nests are attached are so 

 brittle that when attem})ts are made to bend them to get at 

 tlie nests they invariably break off and the eggs are broken 

 by the jolt or fall. Shells of eggs I saw broken in this way 

 were pale blue, sometimes sparingly spotted. 



Ploceus stictifrons (Fschr. Rchw.). R. 1328. (3 M., 

 1 F.) Resident. 



I. Indian red ; B. slate, culmen indigo ; L. ])ale flesh- 

 pink. Leng. 158-171 ; W. 85-88 ; Tl. 75-GO ; C. 19. 



In the marsh region, nests of this species were often seen, 

 but the birds themselves were shy and quiet and seldom met 

 with. In habits and voice it does not differ from the 

 southern species. A number of nests were examined in 

 October and November, but no eggs were found, and the 

 onlv thing of note I found in them was a tiny chestnut- 

 coloured Bat, which is, I understand, of a new species. 



Ploceus ocularius crocatus (Hartl.). E. 1347. (1 M., 

 1 F., 1 juv.) Resident. 



I. orange ; B. black, base lower mand. hoiii ; L. dark 

 ashy i)ink. Leng. 15I.-101 ; W. 72-71 ; Ti. 53-59 ; 

 C. 18-19. 



Owing to the shy and quiet habits of this species it was 

 not often noticed, but judging by the number of nests found 

 at different times, it must have been fairly conmion and 

 widely distributed over the prazo. Those I saw were always 

 silently searching for insects in thick bush, and I only once 

 heard one call softly to its mate. A nest containing three 

 fresh euiis was taken at Namabicda on 2<sth Sei)tenibcr ; it 



