290 Capt. Sperling's Ornithological Notes 



Plentiful at Mo- 

 9ambic. 



6. Pycnonotus nigricans (Vieill.). 



7. Laniarius cubla (Lath.). 



8. JuiDA LEUCOGASTER (Gui.). X 



9. Anthus campestris, Bechst. 



10. Macronyx flavicollis, Swains. 



11. Hyphantornis nigricepSj Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 180. 



In November at Mo9ambic these birds were plentiful, and 

 busily engaged building their nests. I counted not less than 

 twenty of their dome-shape habitations hanging from the leaves 

 of the cocoa-nut palm; they were made. of interwoven hay and 

 leaf-fibres, and had an oval entrance from the bottom. The old 

 birds were flying backwards and forwards with straws, and had 

 all the confident and impudent manner of our domestic Sparrow; 

 in fact the tree that they were building on was in the middle of 

 a negro village. 



I do not think that they bear confinement well, as some that 

 1 had in a roomy cage soon died. 



12. Crithagra chrysopyga (Swains.). 



This pretty little bird was brought to the ship for sale at 

 Zanzibar. 



13. Ploceus capensis (Linn.). ^ 



(• Common at Mocambic. 



14. Vidua principalis (Lmn.). J 



15. Spermestes cucullata, Swains. 



Very common at Mo9ambic. I had about a dozen of them 

 in a cage ; their method of roosting is singular. Four or five 

 would form a base, and on the backs of these three or four 

 more would place themselves, till they were piled up in several 

 tiers, forming a compact lump of feathers, some of them resting 

 on their sides or backs. Occasionally, as may be easily ima- 

 gined, the whole fabric would topple over; and when this 

 occurred at night those that fell remained at the bottom of the 

 cage. 



16. Centropus senegalensis (Linn.). 



Not rare at Mo9ambic, hopping about the low bushes and 



