PLOCEPASSEU MAHALI 327 



between the Orange River and the Tropic. He writes : " Each 

 nest was composed of stalks of grass, the thickest extremities 

 of which were so placed as to protrude externally for several 

 inches beyond the more compact sti'ucture, destined to contain 

 the eggs." It is, according to Stark, "abundant to the north 

 of the Orange River among bushes and mimosa trees, but is 

 rarely met with in the open country. Of social habits, it 

 remains in flocks all the year round and breeds in company, 

 several nests being generally built in a single tree. Rarely 

 have I met with more pugnacious birds ; the males in spring 

 are constantly fighting, and so desperate are their quarrels 

 that the combatants frequently lie exhausted, side by side, on 

 the ground, incapable of further movement. They are noisy 

 birds, too, very ' sparrow-like ' in their manners and customs, 

 and keep up a constant chatter w^hile searching for food. This 

 consists of locusts, termites, small beetles, and a variety of 

 small grain and seeds. The young appear to be fed on larvae 

 and small caterpillars. If disturbed when feeding they seek 

 shelter in the nearest bush or tree. In addition to their some- 

 what harsh call-notes of ' chick-chick,' the males in spring 

 indulge in a song of some sweetness. The nests are large, 

 roughly-built, kidney-shaped structures, usually placed near 

 the ends of the branches of a mimosa or other thorny tree. 

 They are constructed of long grass-stems, the blades and 

 floweriug tops being woven together; the stiff stalks project in 

 all directions. During the winter each nest has two entrances 

 from below, separated in the interior by a narrow bridge of 

 grass, on which the birds roost. At the beginning of the 

 breeding season one entrance is stopped up with leaves and 

 grass, a shallow cavity being left in which the female deposits 

 two or three eggs, about the first week in December on the 

 Limpopo River. As soon as the young are on the wing the 

 second eutriince is unstopped, and the nest is again used, both 



