. RUFOUS-NECKED WEAVER. 

 Ploceus textor^ CUVIER. 



Orange-yellow, varied above with black ; head, chin, and front 

 of the throat black ; nape with a chestnut band. 



Le Cap-noir, Bu/bn, Sen. 19. p. 165. ; PI. Enl. 373. fig. mal. 

 Oriolus textor, And. Ploceus textor, Cuv. Reg. An. 

 Ploceus textor, Zool. Illust. 2d series, pi. 37. 



IN this species the undulation of the commissure of 

 the hill in this and all the insectivorous Weavers (for 

 most of these hirds feed upon heetles as well as 

 seeds), seems analogous to the festoon in the hills of 

 the hawks, and facilitates hoth the hreaking of seeds 

 and the crushing of hard heetles. The aherrant 

 type of Symplectes has nothing of this structure, 

 which, with the greater weakness and compression 

 of the hill, indicates a different sort of food. In 

 Ploceus the spurious quill is always developed, al- 

 though the two next are the longest. The present 

 species, in short, shows the typical form in every 

 respect ; the claws are hroad and much curved, and 

 the lateral toes equal. It appears common in Sene- 

 gal, hut we have not seen the female. 



Total length ahout 6^ inches ; bill from the gape, 

 T 7 5 ; wings, 3^ ; tail beyond the wings, ^ ; from 

 the base, 2/<j ; tarsus, T 9 . 



