STURNID^. 165 



ceros, who, without waiting to ascertain the cause, almost in- 

 stantly seeks safety in a precipitate flight/' 



Mr. R. B. Sharpe possesses a specimen of this bird procured 

 by Mr. Andersson at Ovaquenyama. ED.] 



199. Bubalornis erythrorhynchus (Smith). Buffalo Weaver 



bird. 



Textor erythrorhynchus, Smith's Zool. of S. Africa, pi. 64. 



Textor niger, Strickland & Sclater, Birds Damar., Contr. Orn. 1852, 



p. 150. 

 Textor erythrorhynchus, Layard's Cat. No 354. 



Chapman's Travels in S. Afr., App. p. 400. 



Bubalornis erythrorhynchus , Gray's Hand-list of Birds, No. 6554. 

 Textor erythrorhynchus, Sharpe's Cat. No. 547. 



This large finch-like bird is rather common in Damara 

 Land and also in the Lake-regions, where it is known 

 to the natives by the name of " Tsaba Gushoa." It 

 is a noisy species, gregarious in its habits, breeding in 

 colonies, and constructing many nests in the same tree : 

 it seems to prefer the giraife-acacia for the purpose of 

 nidification ; and it is curious that when these birds have 

 used a tree for this purpose it usually withers in a short 

 time after the building of the nest is completed ; but 

 whether the birds instinctively select such trees as have 

 a tendency to decay, I am unable to say. The collective 

 nests consist externally of an immense mass of dry twigs 

 and sticks, in which are to be found from four to six 

 separate nests or holes of an oval form, composed of 

 grass only, but united to each other by intricate masses 

 of sticks, defying the ingress of any intruder except a 



[* I include in this family the Ploceidce of some authors. ED.] 



