192 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



mandibles ; feet black ; irides dark brown. Female brown, 

 pale on upper surface of body and marked with broad 

 blackish-brown centres to the feathers, which are less 

 defined on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; wing and 

 tail-feathers blackish-brown edged with pale brown ; 

 the median coverts tinged with orange; the lesser 

 coverts orange centred with black; sides of head and 

 under surface brownish buff ; a broad whity -brown 

 eyebrow stripe ; a blackish stripe from the gape to the 

 ear-coverts, which are also blackish along the upper and 

 lower edges ; flanks with ill-defined dark-brown shaft- 

 stripes ; under wing-coverts cinnamon; beak and feet 

 pale brown ; irides brown. Male in winter dress 

 differing from the female in its orange-vermilion lesser 

 .coverts and black flight and tail feathers. Hab.," South 

 Africa east of about 25 deg. E. long, and south of 

 10 deg. S. lat." (Shelley). 



Stark (" Birds of South Africa/' Vol. I., pp. 135, 136) 

 gives the following interesting account of the habits of 

 the species : In the lower parts of Natal these Widow 

 Birds are common on the grass veldts, especially those 

 that border on reedy vleis or marshy ground, where the 

 grass grows luxuriantly. Like all the members of the 

 genus, tlhey are polygamous in their habits, and in 

 spring the handsome males, looking very brilliant and 

 -spruce in their recently acqudred plumage of velvety- 

 black, with scarlet and orange epaulettes, may be sei'ii 

 flitting over the reeds or grass with a curious ""flopping" 

 flight, each one attended and closely followed in all his 

 movements by ten or twelve females, insignificant- 

 lookiing little brown 'birds, which nearly always keep 

 close together in a " bund) " a, few yards behind their 

 lord and master. About the beginning of November 

 the females separate and commence building their nests. 

 These are never very close together, although they are 

 -all within a certain district that the male seems to look 

 upon as his own exclusive property, and from which he 

 drives other males of his kind, as well as those of the 

 much larger and stronger Coliuspasser procne, who, 

 hampered by their long tails, stand no chance in a fight 

 with their smaller b>ut much more active antagonist. 

 Each fttnale 'builds and occupies a separate nest. During 

 the time she is sitting the male stations himself on a 

 tall weed somewhere near the centre of his harem, and 

 keeps a sharp look-out for intruders, occasionally flying 

 round to see Ihow matters are progressing at his various 

 establishments. Should a man or other dangerous 

 <enemy approach, he flies to each nest in succession with 

 a warning note, upon which the sitting females leave 

 their nests, creep under the grass for some yards, then 

 rise on the wing to follow ihiim to a distance. The nest, 

 usually built in the cemtre of a tuft of grass from eight 

 inches to a foot off the ground, is a (beautifully light 

 and airy structure, oval in shape and domed, with a side 

 entrance near tihe top ; it measures about four dnches 

 .and a 'half in height and three inches in diameter, is 

 constructed of fine grass, with the flowering tops 

 attached, woven in a sort of open network, so that the 

 sides can be seen through, without any additional lining. 

 The sides of the 1 nest are attached to many of the sur- 

 rounding grass-stalks, the blades and tops of tihe latter 

 "being bent over in the fonm of a canopy so as to com- 

 pletely conceal it from above. The eggs, laid towards 

 the end of December, are three in number. They have 

 a highly polished surface of a clear sea-green, marked 

 with large spots and blotches of deep oLive-brown. They 

 measure 0.80 by 0.58. 



" These Widow Birds feed largely on insects, includ- 

 ing grasshoppers, locusts, mantides, and termites, also 

 upon various seeds, especially small grass-seeds. In 

 winter the old and young birds form good-sized flocks, 

 font never seem to wander far from their breeding 

 station." 



Russ says : " On two occasions, in the course of 

 time, I acquired it from Ch. Jamrach, of London 

 without, however, being able in its miserable condition 

 to keep at alive. Then I saw it in the Berlin Aquarium 

 and in the Zoological Gardens of Cologne and Berlin, 

 but each time only a male in imperfect breeding- 

 plumage and with an uncertain tenure of life."* 



This species (has also been represented in the livdng 

 collection of the London Zoological Society. 

 ORANGE-SHOI-LDKBKD WHYDAH (UroljrarJnja boca,,',h. 



Black, with the exception of the chrome-yellow lesser 

 wing-coverts, pale cinnamon median and greater coverts 

 buff bases to primaries showiing also in front of under 

 wmg-coverts ; beak whitish grey; feet black; irides 

 brown. Hab., Portuguese West Africa between the 

 Quanza, and Cunene Rivers. 



The winter plumage of the male and the female appear 

 not to have been recognised hitherto, and all that 

 appears to be known of its life is that Anchieta, who 

 obtained it at Cacondu and Huilla, says that it is called 

 by the natives the " Quicengo " in the former place and 

 the "Lite" in the latter. Of the closely-related 

 Mechow 8 Whydah no field-notes exist. 



V. bfiff/t/ii i s recorded among: the sr>ecies which have 

 been exhibited at the London Zoological Gardens. 



The Weavers. 



All who delight in hardy 'birds of brilliant plumaue 

 are sure to admire the Weavers; indeed, I find an 

 aviary devoted to various species of these birds a great 

 attraction to visitors. 



If supplied with plenty of hay the Weavers, when in 

 colour, will spend the greater part of their time in 

 biuldung their marvellous nests. These vary in charac- 

 ter from the ordinary Vidiuine type to a purse-shape, or 

 to a form resembling a gigantic snail-shell with the 

 opening directed downwards in the Ploceinre. 



In the case of all Weavers which construct cleldcate- 

 looking nests of open strongly plaited grasses or hay, 

 the eggs are coloured ; but in those stoutly and densefy 

 formed, as, for instance, tho?e of the various Oriental 

 races of Baya, Weavers, which are so dense as to almost 

 exclude the light, the eggs are pure white. Even the 

 flimsy-looking nests are always extremely strong, and 

 difficult to pull to pieces. 



It is, I think, quite conceivable that the Viduine 

 Weavers and Whydahs are descended from Mclj)i/rr?ia, 

 but the Ploceine Weavers from Primer. There 'is not 

 the least reason why two or more branches of the 

 Frlngillld stock should not become modified in the 

 same direction, and, by a shortening of the coverts of 

 the bastard primary come to be associated in one family 

 by systematists. 



The males of Viduine Weavers are usually the sole 

 architects of the nests. As a rule, the males of the 

 Fire Weavers build, but I possess a nest which was 

 entirely formed by the hen, proving that both sexes 

 are equally capable. It is possible, I think, that some, 

 at least, of these birds may be polygamous. In the 

 Ploceine Weavers the males build the*' greater part of 

 the nest, and are then assisted by their hens. 



Although such inveterate nest-builders, the Weavers 

 rarely breed successfully in captivity. The explanation 

 of this probably is that the various species are usually 

 kept in one aviary together. The best chance of suc- 

 ceeding would be to keep one male Weaver with several 

 hens in an aviary supplied with plenty of. cover and 

 natural branches. 



The songs of Weavers are by no means pleasing. 



* Riiss considered Urobrac/iya to be a link between the Wliydahs 

 and Fire Weavers. 



