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32. Sitagra capensis. Cape Weaver Bird. 



Oriolus capensis, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 163 (1766). 



Ploceus capensis, Smith, III. Zool S. Afr., Birds, pi. 66, fig. 2 (1841). 

 Hyphantornis aurifrons, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 179 (1867). 

 Hyphantornis capensis, Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 179 (1867). 

 Hyphanturgus olivaceus, Sharp e, ed. Layard's B. S. Afr. pp. 483, 846 



. (1884) partim. 



Sitagra capensis, Sharpe, Cat. B. M. xiii, p. 430 (1890). 

 Xanthophilus capensis, Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 38 (1896). 



Description. Adult male in breeding plumage. Entire head, 

 face and under surface of body yellow, the forehead, sides of face 

 and neck, cheeks and breast tinged with golden, the throat with 

 olive ; lores and feathers about eyes dusky ; upper surface of body 

 olive-yellow, the back slightly streaked with brown ; wings brown, 

 the feathers edged with olive-yellow ; axillaries and under wing- 

 coverts ash-brown ; edge of wing yellow ; tail-feathers olive-brown 

 edged with olive-yellow. 



Iris light red ; bill black ; tarsi and feet flesh-colour. 



Length 7-25 ; wing 3'50 ; tail 2-30 ; tarsus 1-00 ; culmen 0-95. 



Adult female. Duller in colour ; head and sides of face and 

 neck like the back ; cheeks and under surface of body olive-yellow 

 tinged in places with brighter yellow. 



Iris hazel brown ; bill brown. 



Young. Above and below brownish-yellow obscurely streaked 

 with brown. 



Distribution. Western Cape Colony, including the Cape Penin- 

 sula, extending as far north as the Orange Eiver, eastward to 

 Algoa Bay. 



Habits. This large and robustly built species is very generally 

 distributed, in flocks of from ten to fifty or sixty individuals, over 

 Western Cape Colony, and although it shows a certain preference 

 for the neighbourhood of vleis and marshy ground, it is also found 

 in very arid localities at a considerable distance from the nearest 

 water. Its flight is rather heavy and undulating. The Cape 

 Weaver feeds to a considerable extent upon seed and grain, but 

 at times upon insects. It is also fond of sipping the saccharine 

 juice of the Cape aloe and of various proteas, and individuals may 

 be sometimes met with with their frontal feathers stained and 

 matted together with the mingled nectar and pollen of these plants. 



They build their large kidney- shaped nests in colonies, fre- 

 quently suspending them from the boughs of a tree overhanging 





