198 



FOREIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



Rues says that this species lias been known since 

 Vieillot's time, but is very rare and only imported 

 singly. The first known to him was received by E. 

 Geupel, of Leipzic, in 1871, a dealer who often obtained 

 rare birds from England, and subsequently Gudera, of 

 Antwerp, and Hagenbeck occasionally secured single 

 specimens. 



In his article in TJif Avicultural Magazine, 1st Ser., 

 Vol. III., p. 126. the late Mr. Erskine Allon says that 

 he has " four pairs of that ridiculous creature the 

 Frontal Grosbeak (Sporop! />i'.< fnni falls). Half Weavers 

 and half Sparrows, they belie their lineage by being of 

 a peaceful disposition; and they sins like Mannikins! 

 Each pair .appears inseparable. Eating, drinking, and 

 as nearly -is p.ns.-iible flying together, they look like 

 Siamese twins. A row of them gradually elongating 

 their necks simultaneously is an absurd sight." 



WHITE-FRONTED WEAVER (AmUyospiza albi front). 



Upper surface deep chocolate-brown, becoming almost 

 black on the lower back, wings, and tail ; base of the 

 quills white forming a conspicuous speculum ; feathers 

 of back, upper tail-coverts and wings with narrow 

 brownish buff margins; forehead 'white; lores and 

 feathers below eye blackish ; throat and fore-chest 

 chocolate-brown like the head, shading into slate-grey 

 with darker shaft-stripes on the breast, abdomen, 

 thighs and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts and 

 axillaries blackish ; flights below blackish-brown TV! ton a 

 broad white band across the base of the quills ; beak 

 grey, black at base of upper mandible ; feet reddish- 

 brown ; irides dark brown. Female above dark brown, 

 with darker centres and sandy brownish margins to the 

 feathers ; median and greater wing-ooveits and 

 secondaries black with reddish-brown margins ; bastard 

 wing, primary-coverts and quills blackish-brown with 

 rufous-brown margins; the primaries however with 

 ashy-brown ; upper tail coverts with buff fringes ; tail- 

 feathers blackish-brown with rufous-brown margins ; 

 sides of head rufous-brown, lores and feathers below the 

 eye blackish ; cheeks and sides of neck dark brown 

 streaked with white ; under surface white, streaked 

 with dark brown ; sides and flanks stained wiith reddisih- 

 brown ; under wing-coverts and axillaries pale sandy 

 buff ; flights below dark brown, dull yellowish along 

 Inner webs ; beak greenish yellow, dusky at tip of upper 

 mandible; feet and irides dusky. Hub., South- 

 eastern Africa from the Cape to Nyasa-land. 



Stark ("Birds of South Africa,"' Vol. I., pp. 81, 82) 

 says: "Sir Andrew Smith remarks that it 'inhabits 

 exclusively the forests, and never condescends to visit 

 buit the largest trees, hence it is only very partially 

 scattered over the country. The only specimens which 

 have been obtained within the limiits of the Cape Colony 

 were discovered in the forests upon the eastern frontier. 

 About Port Natal, however, the bird lis not as rare, 

 and specimens aire readily to be obtained there at all 

 seasons of the year. It feeds principally upon berries 

 and small fruits.' I have myself only met with this 

 Weaver Bird on the coast of Natal and Zululand, 

 among the tall reeds that border many of the rivers 

 and lagoons. In many such localities it is quite 

 abundant, outnumbering any other specties of the family. 

 This species builds among the reeds, and, its thick and 

 clumsy-looking 'bill notwithstanding, constructs a very 

 neat and beautiful nest, shaped something like a 

 flattened cone with the entrance at the lower edge. 

 This is attached to the stems of two reeds over the 

 water. It is woven with long pieces of coarse grass 

 and strips of reed-leaf without anv finer linincr. Both 

 birds labour at its construction, the maile fetching the 



materials and working from the outside whilst hanging 

 by his strong toes head downwards with extended 

 wings, female from the inside. Both male and female 

 keep up an incessant chattering as they pass the end 

 of the grass stem from one to the other through the 

 walls of the nest. These Weavers nest in colonies ) and 

 like many other species of the family become very 

 tame during the breeding season, so tohat one can easijy 

 watch them from a distance of a 'few yards only. 

 Although these birds feed largely upon berries and 

 large forest seeds they also take insects, especially 

 beetles and termites, as well as locusts. The newly- 

 hatched young are fed on soft larvae and the pulp of 

 berries." 



According to Shelley ("Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., 

 Part II., p. 305), "The egg is described by Mr. Kuschel 

 as perfectly oval, without gloss, of a reddish wihite 

 colour, with ashy violet and brownish red spots, and 

 measuring 1.0 by 0.64.'' 



This species has been exhibited in the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens. 



BLUE-BEAKED WKAVER (Spermospiza hoematina). 



Above glossy blue-black; upper tail-coverts slightly 

 washed wiith dull crimson; throat, breast, and sides 

 bright crimson; abdomen, flanks, thighs, under tail 

 and wiing-coverts and axillaries black; beak metal IV 

 blue, the tip and edges crimson; feet brown ish -black ; 

 irides crimson; eyelids dull white. Female, slate-grey; 

 Tipper tail -coverts dull crimson; bastard-wing, primary - 

 coverts and flights blackish-bro'xvn edged wiith slate- 

 grey; tail black; crown dull crimson becoming slate- 

 grey at back and on nape ; sides of head dull crimson ; 

 throat, breast, and sides bright crimson ; abdomen 

 blackish spotted with white; flanks slate-grey spotted 

 with white ; thighs and under tail-coverte dark ,- ' 

 coloured; under wiing-coverts and axillaries slate-grey, 

 spotted with white; flights beiow dusky, with ashy 

 inner edges; beak, feet, irides and eyelids as in male. 

 Hab., Senegambia to Abeokuta. 



The following notes are from Shelley's ' Birds of 

 Africa," Vol. IV., Part 2, pp. 293-4: Mr. Kemp . . . 

 writes : " It frequents the farms and marshy ground 

 like Pyrenestes coccineus, is very wary and as difficult to 

 see as that bird, and like that species apparently breeds 

 here in August and September." Dr. Biittikofer found 

 its nest in Liberia and remarks that it does not breed 

 in colonies. The nest was placed in the fork of a 

 bush, some four feet from the ground, in the under- 

 growth of the forest, and was spherical in form, about 

 five inches in diameter, with the entrance near the 

 top, and was constructed of soft grass without any 

 lining, and contained two whit? eggs, measuring 0.76 

 by 0.52." 



This Weaver has been exhibited at the London Zoo- 

 logical Gardens. 



BRIGHT-SPOTTED WEAVER (Spermnspiza t/i/ffata). 



Differs from the preceding species in the upper tail- 

 coverts being of the same bright crimson as the throat ; 

 fiides of head, below the eye, bright crimson or washed 

 with crimson ; upper mandible with broad orange-red 

 edges ; feet black with yellow soles ; irides red. Female 

 differs from that sex of ft. hwrnatina in the absence 

 of red on front of orown ; the crimson of upper tail- 

 coverts and sides of head bright like that of the throat ; 

 tail-feathers slightly edged with dull crimson ; beak 

 dark metallic blue, with red edges; feet black with 

 yellow sales; irides red, eyelids white. Hab., 

 Caimarocns to the Congo. 



Captain Shelley (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., Part II., 



