310 FOREIGN FINCHES IN CAPTIVITY. 



THE BAYA WEAVER. 



Ploceus bay a, BlA'TH. 



THIS common Weaver- bird is an inhabitant of the greater part of 

 India and Ceylon. 



The male, in breeding plumage, is brown, with black centres to 

 the feathers, the feathers of the mantle, however, being yellow, with 

 black centres, and the scapulars brown with paler margins ; the lower 

 back is uniformly brown, and the upper tail-coverts are yellow; the 

 wings are dark brown, the lesser coverts with pale brown edges, the 

 median and greater coverts and secondaries with white or whitish edges ; 

 the remaining flight and tail feathers with olive yellow edges, the tail 

 feathers themselves being pale brown ; crown of head pure golden 

 yellow ; a line along the base of the forehead, the lores, feathers round 

 eye, sides of face and ear-coverts, blackish-brown, the cheeks slightly 

 paler ; throat pale brown ; sides of neck golden yellow, with dusky 

 streaks ; front of neck and breast pure golden yellow ; abdomen 

 yellowish-white ; sides of body pale brown ; thighs pale tawny ; under 

 tail-coverts yellowish ; under wing-coverts pale tawny ; flights dusky 

 below, with greyish inner edges. Length 5^ inches. Beak horn-brown, 

 base of lower mandible yellow ; legs flesh-coloured ; iris dark brown. 



The female has the head brown, streaked like the back, but the 

 feathers are not pale edged ; the lores dusky, surmounted by a broad 

 whitish-buff eyebrow ; feathers below the eye whitish ; ear-coverts 

 greyish-brown; sides of neck pale tawny-buff; cheeks, throat, and body 

 below, whitish-buff, nearly pure white on abdomen and under tail- 

 coverts ; front of neck, breast and sides ochreous buff, more tawny on 

 the flanks, which are faintly streaked with dark brown, the sides of the 

 breast are also slightly streaked with black ; under wing-coverts pale 

 tawny-buff; flight- feathers below dusky, with yellowish margins to the 

 inner web. Total length 5! inches. Otherwise like the male. 



In the winter both sexes are nearly alike, but are more tawny in 

 tint than in the summer, and have broad yellowish borders to the flight 

 and tail-feathers ; otherwise they resemble the summer plumage of the 

 female. 



