WAXBILLS 67 



Modder Kiver, building an untidy dome-shaped nest of 

 grass, woven with the ends projecting in all directions, 

 and lined with the flax-like flowery heads of grasses and 

 feathers. They lay their four or five eggs in autumn : 

 these are bluish-green in colour, thickly streaked and 

 blotched with brown and reddish-brown. 



Like nearly all Weavers, they live on grass seeds varied 

 by a little insect food. 



WAXBILLS. 



The Sub-family Estrildince is a large one, containing 

 many pretty little birds, some being well known to every 

 South African, while others are scarce and little known. 



The Buddy Waxbill (Lagonosticta rubricata) in its 

 crimson and brown plumage is a dainty little bird with 

 a singular twittering call which reminds one forcibly 

 of the tinkling of a tiny silver bell. In the Central 

 Transvaal they are especially fond of feeding on the 

 ripening berries of the Australian pepper-tree, from the 

 branches of which their sprightly call may often be 

 heard. The nest is built in a bush usually about a foot 

 from the ground, and is a round, loosely built structure 

 of grass, lined with feathers. Eggs four or five (occa- 

 sionally even six), and of a pure white colour. 



The Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) is known as 

 the Kooibekje (Ked-bill) amongst the Boers, and unlike 

 the preceding species, may be found in enormous flocks 

 during the autumn and winter months, searching for 

 seeds amongst the weeds and grass in old lands, or 

 amongst the open scrub and bush. 



They have a shrill, ping-ping like call, and are well 

 known in their plumage of brown back, crimson breast, 

 and red bills. They build a large, untidy nest of grass, 



