170 



YELLOW-BODIED WEAVER. 



Symplectes chrysomus** SWAINS. 



Above dark brown ; beneath bright yellow ; chin whitish ; 

 bill and legs pale. 



THERE are certain characters in this Weaver, which 

 separates it so much from any of its congeners, that 

 we cannot, for the present, associate it with any of 

 the genera contained in the circle. These characters, 

 which we shall shortly state, certainly show a great 

 departure from those which helong more or less to 

 the others ; yet as its whole appearance is that of a 

 Ploceus^ we place it as the aberrant type, helieving 

 that its natural station is between Ploceus and Es- 

 trelda. 



In its whole appearance, as regards the size, 

 colour, and the stoutness of the feet, the breadth and 

 great curvature of the claws, and the shortness and 

 evenness of the tail, our bird shews an unquestion- 

 able affinity to the large race of Weavers, forming 

 the restricted genus Ploceus. This point being 

 admitted, we get the doable affinities of Ploceus; for 

 that genus is so intimately connected with Euplectes^ 

 that every link in the chain of connexion is filled 

 up, and more than one Ploceus evinces a tendency 



* A figure of this bird has been engraved for the new series 

 of " Illustrations of Ornithology,* Plate X., under the title of 

 Eupodes acanthosomus. We have received specimens from the 

 Cape of Good Hope, and also from Sierra Leone. W. J. 



