406 HYPHANTORNIS MARIQUENSIS 



Hyphantornis ffithiops, Heugl. J. f. O. 1867, p. 380. 



Hyphantornis velatus (non Vieill.), Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. 464 

 (1890 pt.) Gape Col, Natal, Transvaal; Kuschel, J. f. O. 1895, 

 p. 333 egg ; Nehrkorn, Kat. Eiers. p. 131 (1899) egg ; Stark, Faun. 

 S. Afr. B. i. p. 58 (1900); Haagner, Ibis, 1901, p. 16; 1902, 

 pp. 572, 678, Johannesburg; Whitehead, Ibis, 1903, p. 223 

 Orange B. ; Clarke, Ibis, 1904, p. 524 Bloemfontein. 



Ploceus velatus, Eeichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 78 (1904). 



Male in full plumage. Differing very slightly from H. velatus. Eather 

 larger ; bill stouter ; tarsi longer and like the feet larger ; upper parts 

 slightly darker, mantle greener ; rump more golden yellow, with a slight 

 olive wash. "Iris orange red; bill black; tarsi and feet flesh-colour" 

 (Stark). Total length 6'5 inches, culmen 0-7, wing 3-35, tail 2-5, tarsus l-O. 

 ,?, 13. 10. 81, Newcastle (Butler). 



Tyj)e, xvinter 2^linnage. Upper parts ashy brown, slightly shaded with 

 yellow on the head, neck, rump and upper tail-coverts ; mantle with 

 blackish brown shaft-bands; tail yellowish brown, with narrow yellow edges 

 to the feathers ; all the wing feathers with pale edges, inclining to bright 

 yellow on the quills and greater coverts and fading into buff on the inner 

 feathers and ends of the median coverts ; lesser coverts browner like the 

 mantle ; inner edges of quills and the under wing-coverts yellowish buff ; 

 sides of head like the crown, but fading on the cheeks into whitish yellow 

 like the throat ; remainder of the under parts white, with a shade of brown 

 on the flanks and across the fore-chest. Bill pale, shading into dark brown 

 on the upper mandible. Total length 6'2 inches, culmen 0-7, wing 3-1, 

 tail 24, tarsus 1-0. 



The Mai'ico Masked-Weaver ranges from Cape Colony over 

 Southern and Eastern South Africa, south of the Limpopo 

 River. 



The types, being in winter plumage, would be difficult to 

 distinguish from H. tahatali by the coloured illustrations or 

 the original description, had not the wing measurement been 

 given as o"l inches, which shows that it belongs to the large 

 form. The full plumaged male has been well figured as E. 

 mariquensis (Ibis, 1868, pi. 10). 



"With regard to the habits of the species, Stark writes : 

 " These Weaver-Birds are gregarious at all seasons of the year, 

 and in summer frequently form very large breeding colonies, 

 often consisting of several hundred pairs of birds. Frequently 



