466 XANTHOPHILUS OLIVACEUS 



Xanthophilus caffer, Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 531 (1896). 



Sitagra capensis caffra, Shortridge, Ibis, 1904, p. 176 Pondoland. 



Adult male. Similar to X. capensis, from which it differs ia having the 

 head and throat tinged with chestnut shaded orange, and the breast slightly 

 mottled with that colour. "Iris light straw-colour; bill black; legs light 

 brown" (T. E. Buckley). Total length 69 inches, culmen 0-9, wing 3-6, 

 tail 2-2, tarsus 1-0. 3 \ 28. 10. 81, Newcastle (E. A. Butler). 



Adult female. Like that of X. capensis. Wing 3-2. ? , 28. 10. 81 

 (E. A. Butler). 



The Eastern Cape Golden Weaver replaces X. capensis in 

 Eastern South Africa from Algoa Bay to the Zambesi. 



Dr. Bowdler Sharpe, in his edition of Layard's Birds of 

 South Africa, writes: "We have received specimens from 

 Capt. Trevelyan at Kingwilliamstown, and Mr. Rickard has 

 procm-ed it at Port Elizabeth, and states that it is very plen- 

 tiful at East Loudon." The species is well represented in the 

 British Museum from Natal and the Transvaal, where it is 

 apparently abundant, and according to Dr. Holub it ranges to 

 as far north as the Zambesi, but I find no other record of it 

 from north of the Limpopo River. Their habits are, according 

 to Stark : " Very like those of the larger 8. capensis ; the 

 eastern race, however, appears to feed to much greater extent 

 upon insects and the saccharine juice of various flowers. It 

 pays constant visits to the conspicuous scarlet flowers of the 

 ' Kafiir-boum,' and feeds side hy side with various Sunbirds on 

 the uectar." 



" Its nest and eggs resemble those of the large Cape 

 Weaver-Bird, the eggs being a trifle smaller; the nest is, how- 

 ever, fi"equently suspended between two reeds and is then 

 built of strips of reed-leaves. When alarmed this Weaver 

 utters a loud ' chur-r-r,' at ordinary times a cheerful chat- 

 tering note." 



The Cols. Butler and Feilden and Capt. Savile Reid, while 

 in Natal, made the following notes : " About Newcastle they 



