TRUE WEAVERS 65 



forest districts of the Eastern Cape Colony. It con- 

 structs a wonderful nest woven of grass in the vicinity 

 of Grahamstown it is usually of a tough red fibre 

 shaped like a retort, with a long neck, which is frequently 

 several feet in length. The eggs are three in number, 

 and of a white ground colour, sometimes spotted with 

 pinkish and sometimes with purplish-grey. They build 

 occasionally in the open bush away from water and are 

 not gregarious in habits, residing usually in pairs. 



The Cape Weaver-Bird (S. capensis), and its Eastern 

 and Northern representative (S. c. caffra), has no black 

 throat. It is a large bird and builds a fairly large nest, 

 generally overhanging water, and is either suspended 

 from a tree or between reeds. 



In the Central Transvaal we have found it nesting in 

 colonies amongst the eucalyptus trees growing in the 

 vicinity of water, where it suspends its nest from the 

 lower branches of the trees. 



It lays bright greenish-blue eggs. 



It is fond of sucking the pollen from flowers, and the 

 feathers of the forehead are often caked with the saccharine 

 juices. 



The Forest Weaver (S. gr eg alls) is rusty-black above 

 and golden-yellow below. 



Its habitat is from Algoa Bay in the Eastern Province 

 of the Cape to Zululand. 



This bird is not gregarious as its name would indicate, 

 being found in pairs in the thickly wooded kloofs, where 

 it suspends its necked and retort-shaped nest, woven of 

 fine tendrils of creeping plants, high up over a pool or 

 rill of water. Although coarsely constructed, the nest 

 is compactly woven and can be crushed together like 

 5 



