312 DItfEMELLIA DINEMELLI 



Lado (Erain), Lake Baringo (Delamere), thirteen specimens 

 from Somaliland, Arbawun (Pease), Ambukara (Antinori), 

 Abyssinia (Verreaux), and the Sudan (Knoblecher). Besides 

 the above-mentioned localities, specimens have been collected 

 by Fischer on the Pare Plateau, where he met with six of them 

 feeding on the ground in company with a large flock of SjJreo 

 sujJerhus, and also found the species near Kilimanjaro, the 

 Tana River and Barawa. Hildebrandt observed it nesting in 

 moderate sized trees close to Malimboa in Ukamba. Mr. 

 Jackson met with it at Njemps on Lake Baringo, and found 

 the species fairly plentiful in the neighbouring mountains of 

 Kamassia at Elgeyu. According to Emin the species is not 

 rare on the "White Nile near Lado, and Heuglin met with it at 

 the Gazelle River frequenting the o^Den country. 



The type was discovered by the late Major Harris in Sboa, 

 where, according to Dr. Ragazzi, these Weavers are abundant, 

 and in Southern Abyssinia they are, according to Mr. Pease, 

 "quite common in the low country, always in noisy companies 

 of twelve to fifteen, frequenting the bush and feeding on the 

 ground." 



In Somaliland Prince Ruspoli procured three typical 

 examples of D. dinemelli and a small specimen, the type of 

 D. ■)'us2)oli, Salvadori, which I do not consider to be recognisable 

 as a subspecies. Mr. Lort Phillips writes : " These birds are 

 fairly common throughout the country, frequenting the mimosa 

 trees. They are very noisy when on the wing, and breed in 

 colonies. Their eggs are green, thickly speckled with dark 

 brown, and 0'95 inch long. In one of these colonies a pair of 

 small hawks, Poliohierax semUonjuatus, had usurped a nest, 

 but were regarded apparently as welcome visitors by these 

 sociable Weavers." He also met with them, " along the foot 

 of the Groolis range, where it was breeding in small colonies 

 in March and April. The nests are huge, clumsy affairs, 



