BREEDING HABITS OF WEAVERBIRDS—FRIEDMANN 299 
It may be noted that the assumption that late-maturing males are 
able to have several mates is based on the thought that more females 
are mature in the later than in the earlier part of the season, but, only 
a few lines above, van Someren informs us that all the females mature 
simultaneously, which would imply that the females mature later 
than the early-maturing males. It would seem, from this, if van 
Someren’s assumption be correct, that the early-maturing males might 
be no longer in breeding condition late in the season when mates are 
available, or else they would compete with the later-maturing cocks 
for the hens to a degree sufficient to diminish the likelihood of the 
late-maturing mates having more than a single mate apiece. 
The care of the eggs and the young appears to be left wholly to the 
females, and, as far as the incomplete evidence goes, the actual nest 
building is also done by the hens of the various species of whydahs. 
We have but little reliable data as to the territorial aspects of the 
lives of most of these birds, except for Jackson’s whydah. In his 
study of this bird van Someren found that— 
. . . true territorial behavior becomes evident early in the sexual break-up of the 
flock. The males, isolating themselves on rings (7. e., dancing areas) establish a 
well-defined territory of small extent, of which the ring itself is the focal point; 
the territory extends all round the ring at a radius of 6 to 10 feet from the central 
tuft. 
A female alighting anywhere within this territory may be solicited by courtship 
behavior by the male on the ring, even though she may not alight on the ring 
itself. Another full-plumaged male alighting on this territory is treated in one of 
two ways, depending on the attitude of his tail as he alights. If he alights with 
his tail arched and the two outer plumes drooping as in the dancing attitude, he 
is attacked with pursuit flight if the owner is present in the territory. If however, 
the intruding male alights with his tail folded in the normal flight attitude he is 
usually solicited and displayed to be the owner as if he was a female. It is very 
noticeable that when a male returns to his territory from outside it, the tail is 
arched and the two outer plumes drooped the moment he crosses the boundary; the 
bird alights in the dancing attitude, and thus shows his ownership by his 
appearance... 
Where two or more rings are found within a few inches of one another... 
they are all formed by the one male, who may use them alternately while dancing, 
and keep them all in good order . . . rings occupied by two separate males are 
not found closer than about 12 feet. These boundaries are accepted by the other 
members of the flock early in the break-up, hence territorial squabbles are seldom 
seen late in the season . . . This territory is related purely to sexual functions 
and has no food significance; feeding is carried out in a mixed flock even in the 
height of the dancing season, on neutral ground where sexual rivalry is notably 
absent. 
Furthermore, this territory appears of no significance to the females apart from 
the fact that they are attracted to the rings; they are unaware of the boundaries 
of the male territories. At nesting time, the males cease dancing vigorously and 
the main dancing area may become completely deserted; the females nest in a 
different area which is usually some distance away from the dancing grounds. The 
