FRINGILLID^. 181 



218. Vidua regia (Linn.). Shaft-tailed "Widow bird. 



Emberiza regia, Vieillot's Ois. Chant, pis. 34 & 35. 



Vidua regia, Strickland & Sclater, Birds Damar., Contr. Orn. 1852, 



p. 150. 



Layard's Cat. No. 374. 

 Sharpe's Cat. No. 601. 



This species visits Damara Land and the parts ad- 

 jacent during the wet season, and is then by no means 

 uncommon. 



219. Vidua principalis (Linn.). Dominican Widow bird. 



Vidua erythrorhyncha, Swainson's Birds of West Africa, vol. i. pi. 12 



(male). 



Vidua principalis, Layard's Cat. No. 375. 

 Estrelda carmelita, Hartlaub, in Ibis, 1868, p. 46 (immature). 

 Vidua principalis, Finsch & Hartlaub's Vogel Ost-Afrika's, p. 428. 



Finsch, in Trans. Zool. Soc. vol. vii. p. 265. 



Sharpe, in Proc. Zool. Soc. 1870, pp. 144, 149. 



Sharpe's Cat. No. 600. 



This is rather a scarce species in Damara and Great 

 Namaqua Land, much more so than Vidua regia. It 

 only occurs during the rainy season, and is generally 

 seen in pairs or in very small flocks. Its food consists 

 of the seeds of grass. 



The iris is dark brown, the bill red, the legs light 

 reddish brown. 



220. Vidua paradisea (Linn.). Paradise Widow bird. 



La grande Veuve d 1 Angola, Buffon's PI. Enl. vol. iv. p. 343, pi. 104 



(male, in spring and change). 

 Vidua paradisea, Swainson's Birds of West Africa, vol. i. pi. 11 



(male, in spring). 

 Steganura paradisea, Strickland & Sclater, Birds Dainar., Contr. 



Orn. 1852, p. 157. 

 Vidua paradisea, Finsch & Hartlaub's Vogel Ost-Alrika's, p. 424. 



Sharpe's Cat. No. 602. 



