rOUDIA KMINENTISSIMA 493 



The species was first made known by specimens sent to 

 Envope from tlie African Coast ; tlie type being received by 

 Verreaux from Zanzibar, and an immature bird occui-red in 

 the collection made by Sir John Kirk during- the Livingstone 

 Expedition. In the " Ibis " for 18(34, when he published a list 

 of the birds in that collection, he did not mention the species ; 

 but it is recorded in his collection from the Comoro Islands 

 in the same number of the "Ibis" by Dr. Schxter, as " Foadin, 

 viuddgascdriensis, Mohilla (Kirk). ' Obtained in a reedy marsh 

 near Oane.' " 



During a later expedition to this gToup of islands Sii' John 

 Kirk collected for me seven specimens from Great Comoro 

 and nine from Johanna. In this latter island, according to 

 Ml'. Bewsher, it is not common, but is known to the natives as 

 the " Paramoran," and he procured the eggs, whicli ai'e pale 

 blue, and measure 0'84 X 0"6. 



The type of Ploceus algondse was obtained by Pollen on 

 Mayotte, from which island also came the type of Galyphantna 

 comorensis. 1 extract the following from Mr. Butler's notes 

 in his "Foreign Finches in Captivity" : "'It regularly assumes 

 its bright colouring in Api'il, i-etaining it for fully six months. 

 Canary seed is the staple food of this and the allied Weavers, 

 but it is very fond of spray millet and paddy-rice. In dis- 

 position and voice it resembles F. riKidar/ascarieims, but in a 

 cage the two species are incessantly disputing, and the more 

 beautiful, but commoner bird, always comes off second best. 

 Indeed, the two birds would be better kept apart, for in the 

 spring of 1894, one of my Madagascar Weavers, after living 

 in constant warfare with another male of its own species and 

 the Comoro bird, was killed by the latter. Proljably such an 

 occurrence is extremely rare, for the battles of Weaver-Birds, 

 though very noisy, and accompanied by a great display of 

 rnffied and quivering plumage, rarely results in actual blows." 



