'200 



FOEEIGN BIRDS FOR CAGE AND AVIARY. 



black ; eyelid, base of cheeks and throat black, the 

 latter bounded by an orange suffusion which extends 

 on to the fore-neck ; remainder of under surface bright 

 yellow, more olive on sides and flanks ; under wing- 

 coverts and axillaries with greyish bases ; quills below 

 ashy with whitish inner edges ; beak black ; feet slaty 

 grey ; hides yellowish-brown. Female differs in the 

 olive-yellow extending over the crown to the forehead 

 and the throat being yellow of a paler colour than the 

 breast ; beak black ; feet pale bluish grey ; irides pale 

 stone-colour. Hab., Senegambia to Gaboon. 



Captain Shelley publishes the following field-notes 

 (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., Part 2, pp. 590, 391) : 

 "The nest, according to Dr. Reichenow, is suspended 

 at a short distance from the ground to a twig or the 

 leaf of a young palm, is oval, with a long entrance 

 passage hanging down of some 7.5 inches long, and the 

 body of the nest measured 4.75 by 3.25. Dr. Reichenow 

 found a nest on November 14th, in Liberia, containing 

 two eggs of a dirty white, sprinkled all over, especially 

 at the thicker end. with reddish brown. The nest 

 was most solidly and artistically constructed of long 

 elastic fibre-; and was luv.ig at a height of some eight 

 feet from the ground." 



" Mr. Kemp found the species common at Rotit'mik 

 and Bo, and writes : 'They were much lighter sleepers 

 than Spermestes cucuttatua and >'. f'rhi</ill<>nl<'*. who 

 loosted in an adjoining tree, and when aroused at night 

 the flutter of their wings agacnst the leaves made a 

 noise like a waterfall. A palm tree in the station 

 yard bore considerably more than a hundred of their 

 nests and was the scene of great excitement in the 

 mornings and evenings. During and after the rains 

 these Weavers assemble sometimes in quite large flocks 

 and fly together after the manner of Starlings, turning 

 and twisting in the air, changing from yellow to green 

 as their breasts or backs become most exposed to view.' " 



Russ rays that this Weaver has only been imported 

 extremely' rarely by Hagenbeck, Gudera, and Jamrach ; 

 it has, however, been in evidence several times at the 

 Berlin Aquarium and the Berlin Zoological Gardens. It 

 has also been exhibited more th:tn once in the London 

 Zoological Gardens. 



MASKKD WKAVKK (Sitiujrn ni<\wha). 



General colour above olive-yellow, more orange on 

 back of crown and naipe ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 brighter yellow; scapulars with blackish centres; wing- 

 coverts and inner secondaries similar, but with narrower 

 yellow margins; tail-feathers .pale, greenish-brown 

 edged externailly with olive-yellow and internally with 

 pale yellow ; crown yellow with the forehead broadly 

 black ; sides of head and throat black ; sides of neck 

 and remainder of under siiirface bright golden yellow ; 

 flights below dusky, with yellow inner edges; beak 

 black; feet greyish brown ; irides brown. Female 

 without black on head, which is golden yellow like the 

 under surface ; hind crown and nape olive yellow like 

 tlif back. Hab.. Gold Coast to the Congo. 



Captain Shelley observes (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., 

 Part 2. pp. 396, 397): "When I was on the Gold 

 Coast I found the species well known there as the Palm- 

 birds, and the nests, I believe, of this species were 

 suspended from beneath t<he leaves of the cocoanut 

 palms, as many as four or five hanging from one 

 frond. These nests were oval with a short entrance 

 passage, and were slenderly but strongly built, 

 apparently of shreds of the pa.lm leaves, and were of a. 

 pale brownish buff, so they may have been built the 

 previous year." 



" In Camaroons Dr. Reichenow found these Weavers 

 plentiful at Wuri along the river bank, suspending their 

 nests from twigs or grass-stalks overhanging the water, 

 and Mr. Sjostedt found them also in abundance at 

 Bibundi. avoiding the thick bush, and he took a nest 

 in August containing two pure white eggs. The e.^-gs 

 measure 0.7 by 0.52." 



The London Zoological Gardens appear to have 

 possessed a fair number of specimens of this Weaver ; 

 but, in the Society's list. Abyssinia is given as the 

 locality (which is not probable) and prrxonata Vieillot 

 a synonym of ,S'. luf.pnla as the name. As ,V. httcola is 

 also entered in the list on another page it is proba.blo 

 that the Masked Weavers which are recorded were 

 West African birds and represented S. monacha. 



YELLOWISH WEAVER (Xifayra luteola). 



Nearly related to the preceding, but w.ith less black 

 on the front of the crown ; the hind-crown and nape 

 olive-yellowish, the upper parts with faint dusky 

 centres to the feathers, the median and greater wing- 

 CDvcrts bordered with pale yellow or white, as also the 

 inner secondaries; beak black; feet horn brownish; 

 irides burnt-sienna. Female with no black in the 

 plumage; above mostily ashy In-own, \va.shed with yellow 

 on the forehead, crown, hack of neck, rump and upper 

 rail-coverts ; the mantle with dusky centres to the 

 feathers; eyebiow, sides of he-ad and throat pale 

 yellow; breast white mottled with yellow; tinder tail- 

 coverts pale yellow ; beak blackish. Hab., Renegambia 

 to the Red Sea and southward to Kavirondo. (Shelley.) 



The following note on the habits is from Shelley's 

 "Birds of Africa," Vol. IV.. Part 2, p. 398: Mr. Jesse 

 found these Weavers breeding en.rly in August. The 

 n:st was oval with a long tivbuilar entrance, and con- 

 tained two white eggs. According to Heuglin they 

 assume their bright plumage in May, commence breed- 

 ing about the middle of July, and the young are able 

 to fly in O.-tnlic:- .'md November. They live mostly in 

 pairs. iKiiaLly frequenting the water-courses in wooded 

 districts, avoiding the more desert parts. The nest 

 is small, of an elongated oval form, lightly constructed 

 of shreds of leaves or bark, with a little hair o<r cm ten 

 for a ]in:ng. and is suspended from the twigs, generallv 

 of an acacia tree, at some twenty feet from the ground. 

 1 lie eggs, two or three in number, are pure white, 

 rnc-t 'urin <T 0.68 by 0.48." 



Dr. RU--S speaks of this bird a.s quite a rarity in 

 captivity, yet he succeeded in securing it for his bird- 

 room, where it constructed several nests. I have seen 

 it exhibited more than once at bird-shows, and our 

 London Zoological Society has had a good many 

 specimens. I know that the late Mr. Abrahams- used 

 to receive it. and I have seen lit once or twice in other 

 bird-shops, so that in England it oa,n be no great rarity. 



OLIVE WEAVER l$ifar/r<t capensis). 



General colour of male above olive-yellow, the back 

 streaked with brown ; wings brown, the feathers edged 

 with olive-yellow; tail olive-hrown, the feathers edged 

 with yellow ; head golden yellow ; under surface bright 

 yellow, the throat tinged with olive ; axillaries and 

 under wing coverts ashy-brown ; margin of wing 

 yellow ; beak black ; feet flesh-coloured ; irides light 

 red. Female duller, the head coloured like the back ; 

 cheeks and under surface olive-yellow, washed here and 

 there with brighter yellow ; beak brown ; irides ha/el. 

 Hab., Western Cape Colony, northward to the Or;: 

 River, and eastward to Algoa Bay. 



Dr. Stark (" Birds of South Africa," Vol. I., pp. 69- 

 70) gives the following account of the wild life : "This 



