WHYDAHS. 



189 



female, but is considerably larger and deeper in colour- 

 ing, the crown broader, with the central area darker 

 and more distinctly streaked, and the eye-stripe more 

 buft' in tint, the base of the beak broader ; there is no 

 difficulty in telling it at once from the hen. Hab., 

 Africa generally, south of 17 N. lat. 



In its wild state the Paradise Whydah. frequents 

 thorn trees and tall bushes, sitting chiefly on the bare 

 upper branches, from which it takes short flights ; at 

 the moulting season the individuals gradually collect 

 into flocks. 



Dr. Stark says '(" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., 

 p. 151) : " The handsome oock, in spring and summer, 

 is fond of perching on a prominent bush, from which 

 he takes short undulating flights, re'turning invariably 

 to the same perch. Occasionally he will hover for a few 

 seconds over the grass in which one of his little brown 

 mates is hidden, for he has many from ten to fifty or 

 more. At short intervals he utters a flute-like note, and 

 now and then a few bars of his love-song. When at rest 

 the longest tail feathers are allowed to hang down, but in 

 flight they are carried horizontally. Like the other 

 Widow Birds this species feeds almost entirely on grass- 

 seeds. The change of plumage, from winter to spring 

 livery, in the male is completed in about six weeks. I 



PARADISE WHYDAHS (Male and Female). 



have never been able to find the nest of this species, nor, 

 so far as I have been able to ascertain, has anyone been 

 more fortunate in this respect than myself." 



The species has been bred in Germany, the females 

 alone constructing the nests and incubating as well as 

 rearing the young ; unhappily, the nests were not 

 examined until after the hatching of the young, so that 

 the colouring of the eggs was not observed. 



The Paradise Whydah shows none of the restless 

 activity of the preceding species ; moreover, in _ old 

 males the weight of the long tail seems to render flight 

 somewhat laborious. It is a fairly hardy bird. 



This beautiful and generally harmless bird is very 

 freely imported and always reaisonable in price, especially 

 if purchased when out of colour. For many years 

 I have had at least one male, sometimes several together 

 in my aviaries ; they seldom interfere with even the 

 smallest Waxbills, although one purchased early in 1897 

 proved a trying exception to the rule and had to be 

 removed to my Weaver aviary ; its capture was so 

 difficult that I fear the bird was overtaxed in its efforts 

 to evade the net, for it died two or three days later. 



LONG-TAILED WHYDAH (Chera progne).* 

 The male in breeding plumage is jet black, the under 



* According to Shelley Chera was pre-occupied in the Lepidoptera, 

 and therefore is inadmissible as a generic name ; the species also 

 was originally called progne (not procne) : he calls it Coliuspasser 

 progne. 



parts being glossy, and having a banded appearance 

 like watered silk ; the shoulder is covered by a large 

 patch of deep orange, relieved behind by an equally 

 broad patch of buffy-white ; the wing-feathers are more 

 or less edged with white or pale brown ; the beak is 

 light bluish ash in summer, brownish flesh in winter ; 

 feet dark brown in summer, paler and flesh-tinted in 

 winter; irides brown. The tail consists of long, 

 broad, curved plumes, almost like cock's feathers, of 

 a jet-black colour, and from 16 in. to 18 in. in length. 



In its winter plumage the male resembles the hen, 

 which is of various shades of brown, streaked and 

 spotted with black, somewhat after the fashion of a 

 Pipit ; the eye-brow streak, the lores, and feathers 

 encircling the eye whitish. In size this species nearly 

 equals our Corn Bunting, which (when out of colour) 

 it tolerably closely resembles in pattern. Hab., Ben- 

 guela to Eastern South Africa from Cape Colony to the 

 Transvaal. (Shelley). 



This species, in its wild state, affects marshy ground, 

 the long reeds about ponds and open flats. It builds 

 its nest close to the ground in a tuft of hay grass, to 

 the stems and blades of which it is roughly woven ; 

 the nest is carelessly constructed of fine grass, drawn 

 together and fastened at the top somewhat after the 

 fashion of an African hut, it is lined with the seed- 

 bearing extremities of the grass; the opening, as usual, 

 is formed at the side ; the eggs usually number four. 



Several writers have stated that the enormous tail 

 of this bird is a source of inconvenience and even danger 

 to him, rendering him almost helpless in a strong wind 

 or during a shower of rain ; Mr. Henry Bowker, 

 however, says that he never enjoys himself so much as 

 during a high wind, in which he shows off to advantage, 

 spreading his tail out like a fan ; Mr. Layard also 

 mentions seeing one apparently drifting before a strong 

 wind, which nevertheless was able to guide himself so 

 as to keep out of gun-shot. These birds are described 

 as roosting in hundreds, or even thousands, in the 

 reedy morasses. The females apparently average 

 from ten to fifteen to each male. 



My friend Mr. James Housden, of Sydenham, has 

 had a fair number of these birds, three or four of which 

 I saw flying together in full plumage in one of his larger 

 aviaries ; they are very attractive, but, on account of 

 their great size, I supposed that it would not be safe 

 to trust them with smaller birds until, on the llth 

 April, 1907, I received a male in exchange for a pair 

 of my hybrid Ouzels, and turned it into one of my 

 smallest aviaries ; I found it so quiet and tame that I 

 did not hesitate, later in the year, to put a pair of 

 young Chingolo Song-Sparrows in with it. I find it is 

 absolutely amiable unless molested ; one of the most 

 quiet, good-natured birds I ever had ; I believe it might 

 safely be trusted with the smallest Waxbills unless it 

 had a number of hens with it inclined to breed ; that 

 might temporarily alter its behaviour ; but the same 

 might be said of almost any bird. In the spring of 

 1908 the Chingolos amused themselves by pulling out its 

 long tail-feathers to line a nest with. 



RED-COLLARED WHYDAH (Penthetria ardens). 



The cock in full colour is jet black, with the exception 

 of a broad half collar of bright vermilion, or sometimes 

 (probably in younger birds] orange, across the back of 

 the throat ; the feathers of the thighs and under tail- 

 coverts are striped with grey on their edges. When 

 out of colour this bird is buff-whitish variegated with 

 black, the under parts white slightly stained with 

 buff ; the throat slightly tinged with vermilion ; the 

 wing feathers black edged with whitish ; tail black ; 



