XANTHOPHILUS XANTHOPTERUS -tfin 



species is common in all pai'ts of tbe island. Tt builds a most 

 beautiful nest of split palm-leaves and grass, pear-shaped, with 

 a side entrance at the lower portion. Usually it is carefully 

 and firmly attached to the extreme end of a palm-leaf, and 

 may be seen swinging in all directions without doing any harm 

 to its structure or contents. The tail of the sitting bird is 

 always visible from the outside of the nest, which the Monkeys 

 often attempt to rob, but generally fail, owing to the flexibility 

 of its support. These Weavers breed twice or three times in 

 the year. The eggs, four or five in number, are pale blue. 

 Native name ' Mello ' or ' Melro,' probably derived from the 

 Portuguese Amarella (yellow)." 



The occurrence of this species as a native on the con- 

 tinent is doubtful. There is a specimen labelled " Lagos " 

 which was obtained by Capt. Burton during his journey 

 to Camaroons, when he would probably have visited Prince's 

 Island. Another, nominally from Gaboon, was supposed by 

 Verreaux to have been obtained by Du Chaillu. One in 

 the Philadelphia Museum is labelled " Angola (Hamilton)," 

 and one in Capt. Storms's collection as coming from Lake 

 Tanganyika. 



Xanthophilus xanthopterus. 



Hyphantornis xanthopterus, Finsch and Hartl. Yog. 0. Afr. p. 399 (1870) 

 Shitpanga ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii. p. -ili, pi. 13, fig. 2 head 

 (1890). 



Xanthophilus xanthopterus, Shelley, B. Afr. I. No. 529 (1896). 



Ploceus xanthophilus, Reicheu. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 94 (1904). 



Hyphantornis castaneigula, Cab. J. f. O. 1884, p. 240, pi. 3, fig. 1 

 Zambesi ; Eeichen. J. f. 0. 1885, p. 374.; 



Ploceus castaneigula, Eeichen. Vog. Afr. iii. p. 94 (1904). 



Adult male. General plumage canary yellow, with the cheeks, chin, 

 upper and middle throat chestnut ; mantle slightly shaded with olive ; least 

 wing-coverts dusky olive, the other coverts are partly shaded with dusky 

 brown, mostly so towards the primary coverts ; this dusky shade is also 



