PLOCEID^ HYPHANTORNIS 57 



Zanzibar, Mosambique and Nyasaland to the Zambesi, and to the 

 south of this river through Portuguese East Africa, Ehodesia and 

 the Transvaal to Zululand and Natal, ranging westward through 

 Bechuanaland and the Lake N'Gami district into Mossamedes and 

 Angola. 



Habits. This species was described by Layard from examples 

 obtained at Kuruman by Dr. Moffat. It does not differ from H. 

 velatus in its general habits, but Ayres, who met with it breeding on 

 the Umvuli and Quaequae rivers in Mashonaland, states that the 

 nests are usually hung from the ends of the reeds, instead of being 

 placed between the upright stems, as is generally the case with 

 those of the Masked Weaver Bird. The nests of both species are 

 kidney-shaped, with an opening on the under side, and are strongly 

 and compactly woven with long pieces of green grass, and lined 

 with grass leaves and the flowering tops. The eggs of this species 

 also are much like those of H. velatus and vary in colour to an 

 equal degree. They are white, blue, green or cream-coloured, 

 sometimes plain, but often spotted all over with red or brown, or 

 more sparingly marked with large blotches of reddish-brown. 

 They average 0-90 x 0-60. 



(U*~#L+, 

 Y 



24. Hyphantornis cabanisi. Cabanis's Weaver Bird. 



Hyphantornis cabanisi, Peters, Journ. f. Orn. 1868, p. 133 ; Sharpe, ed. 



Layard's B. 8. Afr. p. 442 (1884) ; id. Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 461 (1890) ; 



Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 39 (1896). 

 Hyphantornis nigrifrons (nee. Cab), Buckley, Ibis, 1874, p. 380 ; Sharpe 



in Gates' Matabele-Land, p. 319 (1881) ; id. ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. 



p. 326 (1884) ; Holub and Pelzeln, Orn. Siidafr. p. 116 (1882). 



Description. Adult male. Forehead, ear-coverts, cheeks and 

 throat black ; front crown chestnut-red ; hind crown orange-yellow 

 merging into olive-yellow on the nape and upper surface of body ; 

 scapulars olive-yellow mottled with black ; lesser wing-coverts dull 

 olive-yellow with black bases ; remaining coverts and quills dusky 

 edged with yellowish ; central tail-feathers olive-brown edged with 

 olive-yellow, and tipped with blackish, other tail-feathers brown 

 edged with olive-yellow ; sides of neck yellow ; under surface of 

 body bright yellow tinged with orange on the lower throat and 

 breast ; the flanks, thighs and under tail-coverts whitish ; under 

 wing-coverts yellow. 

 (* 



^ - C 



