XANTHOPIIILUS BOJERI tSl 



aureoflavus (non Smitli) as the type of liis genus Xantho- 

 philns. 



Fischer met with the species throughout the coast-country 

 from Bagamoio to Barawa, and mentions it as being the 

 commonest of the Weavers in that part of Africa, nesting 

 everywhere in trees, bushes and hedges in dry or marshy 

 country and by the sea-shore in colonies of five or more pairs. 

 The nest is small, of an oval form, 6 inches deep by 4 wide, 

 constructed of green grass, with no lengthened entrance 

 passage, is hung from a twig at 6 to 7 feet from the ground, 

 and contains three or four eggs. The eggs vary greatly in 

 colouring, being bluish, greyish green or greyish brown, with 

 or without dusky spots, or else bi'ownish yellow very closely 

 freckled with dark brown, often inclining to form a zone near 

 the thick end. They measure on an average 0'8 x 0"6. 



Fischer's specimens were collected at Zanzibar, Bagamoio, 

 Maurui, Pangani, Muniuni, Melinda, Lamu, Wapocomoland and 

 Barawa. Mr. Finn writes: "This bird was extremely abundant 

 at Mom.basa, especially on the island, if the dull, streaky, 

 greenish yellow specimens, much like the females of H. galbula^ 

 are the females and young of H. bnjn-i, of which the briglitly 

 coloured male only appears to be knowu. These bright speci- 

 mens are a small minority. The species is social, both in 

 feeding and nesting ; the nests are hung fi^om the fronds of the 

 cocoanut palms, even in the town of Mombasa. The birds feed 

 on the low plants, where, I presume, they find insects. Nest- 

 lings were brought to me at the Fort bungalow by native boys, 

 and a fledgling even flew into the bungalow on one occasion." 



Mr. Jackson has procured the species at Witu, Erlangei' 

 obtained it in Jubaland, and Fischer at Barawa, and it has 

 been recorded from Somaliland by M. Oustalet. The females 

 are extremely similar to those of X. aureoflavus, and as the 

 range is almost the same for the two species they may be easily 

 confounded with each other. 



[March, 1900. '■^^ 



