TYPICAL WEAVERS. 



201 



large and robustly-built species is very generally dis- 

 tributed, in flocks of from ten to fifty or sixty indivi- 

 duals, over Western Cape Colony, and although it shows 

 a certain preference for the neighbourhood of vleis and 

 marshy ground, it is also found in very arid localities 

 at a considerable distance from the nearest water. Its 

 flight is rather heavy and undulating. The Cape 

 Weaver feeds to a considerable extent upon seed and 

 grain, but at times upon insects. It is also fond of 

 sipping the saccharine juices of the Cape aloe and of 

 various proteas, and individuals may be sometimes met 

 with with their frontal feathers sta ? ned and matted to- 

 gether with the mingled nectar and pollen of these 

 plants. They build their large kidney-shaped nests in 

 colonies, frequently suspending them from, the boughs of 

 a tree overhanging water, but just as often over dry 

 ground. If unmolested they prefer a tree standing close 

 to a house as a nesting site. 



" The nests are compactly woven with coarse grass or 

 strips of reeds and sedge, the interior being warmly 

 lined with fine grass-stems as well as the flowering tops. 

 The entrance to the nest is from, below, a narrow bar 

 at the inner extremity dividing it from the interior and 

 preventing the eggs from falling out in windy weather. 

 The eggs, four or five in number, are of a un.form deep 

 blue. They measure 0.90 by 0.66." 



This is a fairly-well-known cage-bird, which has been 

 exhibited several times at the Zoological Gardens, and 

 I think also at various bird shows. I have seen it in 

 the shop of the late Mr. J. Abrahams in small numbers. 

 Dr. Russ, in his great work, confounds it w!th the pre- 

 ceding species. 



RUFOUS-NECKED WEAVER (Hy pliant or nis cucullatus}. 



The male in breeding plumage is slightly larger than 

 the Black-headed Weaver, from which it may readily 

 be distinguished by the black on the crown not 

 extending back to the nape, but replaced there by a belt 

 of chestnut which forms a complete collar bounding the 

 black mask, also by a .broad 'black band down each side 

 of the mantle which unites on the lower back. The 

 female above is greyish-brown streaked with darker 

 brown ; the wing-coverts edged with greenish yellow, 

 other wing feathers and tail feathers edged with 

 brighter yellow ; top of head greenish yellow ; a clear 

 yellow eyebrow streak, as also the sides of the face and 

 the throat ; abdomen white in the centre with a faint 

 tinge of yellow ; sides of body brownish ; beak and 

 feet horn-brown; eyes blackish brown. Hab., Sene- 

 gambia to Gaboon. 



Captain Shelley thus describes the wild life (" Birds of 

 Africa," Vol. IV., Part. II., p. 425): "The males 

 assume their full plumage within the first twelve 

 months, and never lose it afterwards. They have a 

 loud, shrill note, are very active and gregarious, breed- 

 ing in colonies and generally selecting for that purpose 

 the large trees in towns or villages, apparently appre- 

 ciating the protection thus afforded them against snake? 

 and monkeys, which are no doubt their worst enemies 

 during the breeding season. The nest is of a rounded 

 form, with a short side-entrance passage hanging down, 

 and is constructed of grass and shreds of the leaves 

 generally of the banana or palm tree, is carefully and 

 solidly woven, and strongly attached to the twigs from 

 which it hangs, and the lining of the nests I examined 

 at Cape Coast consisted of soft dry grass and a few 

 feathers. According to Dr. Biittikofer. the eggs are 

 two or occasionally three in number, of a pale green 

 colour, sparsely freckled with brown, and measure 0.9 

 by 0.6." 



Captain Shelley continues as follows: "They show 

 little fear of man, and are hardy, interesting cage-birds, 

 weaving on to the bars of their cage any string, grass, 

 or suitable materials they are supplied with, regardless 

 of the season of the year. A male which I have now 

 had in a cage for over twelve years I have fed upon 

 seeds, but it will eat almost anything, and is specially 

 fond of grasshoppers, and will take all kinds of insect 

 food." 



Some years ago Lieutenant Horgbrugh wrote to me 

 that what he believed to be this species was the most 

 abundant bird about Cape Coast, and he described a 

 single tree which contained from eight to ten thousand, 

 nests. Is it not wonderful that these common birds are 

 so little imported that even Dr. Russ can only speak 

 of a female in a friend's collection which he believes 

 to be referable to this species. But I believe that this 

 is only true of the German bird market, for I have 

 seen a good many in England ; unless I am much 

 mistaken, a hen given to me some years ago by Mr. 

 Allen Silver belongs to this species. 



I purchased a male of this species for a few shillings 

 about 1893, and turned it into my Java-Sparrow 

 aviary, where it built some wonderful nests-, similar to* 

 those of the preceding species ; it, however, .was very 

 quarrelsome and aggressive, so that eventually I re- 

 moved it to the next aviary, in which I had some Cow- 

 birds. These appeared to have injured one of its feet, 

 and it became dull, miserable, and sluggish. In the 

 winter of 1894-5 it died. 



Dr. Russ, who apparently never possessed this 

 Weaver, confounded it with its near relative, H. 

 abyssinicus > applying to it the synonymic name of H. 

 larvatus. 



BLACK-HEADED WEAVKK (Hyphantornis melano- 

 cephalus}. 



The male in breeding plumage has the head to the 

 nape and throat iblack bordered with yellow behind and 

 with chestnut on the throat, remainder of upper sur- 

 face greenish yellow, brightest on the rump ; median 

 wing-coverts blackish tipped with yellow ; outer coverts 

 brown with pale edges ; flights deep brown edged with 

 yellow ; tail-feathers orange-brown edged with yellow ; 

 under surface bright yellow ; beak blackish-brown, feet 

 flesh coloured, iris chestnut. 



The female, though much like the male in winter 

 plumage, is not at all like it in full breeding plumage ; 

 it is dark yellowish green above, the crown, shoulders, 

 and back brownish, each feather with a broad dull 

 yellow transverse bar ; eyebrow stripe and sides of head 

 clear yellow ; under surface brighter yellow ; beak 

 black -brown ; feet flesh coloured ; iris brown. The 

 male in winter plumage is larger than the female, and 

 has a wash of grey on the cheeks, and its mantle is of a 

 more rufous shade ; beak ashy-grey, shading into slate 

 colour on the upper part; feet flesh-pink. Hab., Sene- 

 gambia. 



Shelley (" Birds of Africa," Vol. IV., Part II., p. 440) 

 sa y s: "D r . p. Rendall writes .... : 'This bird, 

 which more frequently is to be seen than any other 

 member of the family, prefers the lower branches of the 

 mimosa, common in the marshy ground between the 

 mangrove swamps ; and though it also builds in 

 colonies, I have seldom seen more than two nests on a- 

 single tree ; they were usually about six or seven feet 

 from the ground level. Their eggs, which present every 

 variation in colour between olive-green and russet- 

 brown, are seldom in clutches of more than two. though 

 once or twice I have taken three from a nest '." 



