PLOCEID^] ANAPLECTES 75 



lower back, scarlet vermilion, tinged with orange on the back and 

 breast in some ; scapulars black streaked with vermilion ; sides of 

 lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts grey, the coverts often 

 streaked with vermilion ; lesser wing-coverts olive-yellow ; rest of 

 wing dusky brown, most of the feathers edged externally with 

 yellow ; tail-feathers dark grey edged externally with yellow ; lower 

 breast, abdomen, under tail and wing-coverts white, the sides and 

 flanks grey, the axillaries and under wing-coverts tinged with yellow. 



Iris red-brown ; bill pale yellow ; tarsi and feet brown. 



Length 5-75 ; wing 3-25 ; tail 2-40 ; tarsus 0'75 ; culmen 0'65. 



Adult female. Above grey ; below white ; the head, face, neck, 

 throat and upper chest tinged with orange-yellow ; forehead and 

 lores dusky ; wings and tail as in the male. 



Length5-50; wing 3-10 ; tail 2-00; tarsus 0-70; culmen 0-60. 



Young male. Resembles the female. Described and figured by 

 Captain Shelley as Sharpia ayresi in the Ibis for 1882. 



Distribution. Portuguese East Africa, Swaziland, and the 

 Eastern and Northern Transvaal, ranging into Matabili, Mashona 

 and Nyasa Lands. Is a resident and breeds near Komati Poort 

 (Francis), and on the Limpopo Eiver in the Transvaal, as well as on 

 the Tatin and Umvuli Kivers in Matabililand (Ayres). Mr. Whyte 

 obtained examples at Zomba and Mpimbi in Nyasaland. 



Habits. During the course of Mr. J. S. Jameson's expedition to 

 Matabililand in 1881 this species was found breeding, but as the 

 specimens collected were in immature plumage Captain Shelley was 

 led to describe them as belonging to a new species (Sharpia ayresi). 

 Individuals of the Bed-headed Weaver Bird, like those of several 

 species of Sitagra and Hyphantornis, occasionally breed while still 

 retaining their young plumage ; Mr. Ayres adds the following notes 

 to Captain Shelley's description in the Ibis. 



" This is by no means a common bird. We found it breeding at 

 the Tatin ; it makes a rough retort-shaped nest, which it hangs, 

 mouth downwards, from the outer twigs of rather tall trees. Some- 

 times a new nest is hung on the tube of the last year's structure. Mr. 

 Jameson found a nest to the north of the Umvuli in October, with 

 two blue eggs in it ; and at the Tatin we pulled down one of the 

 double nests, and Mr. Jameson, on trying to put his hand up the 

 tube, very nearly got bitten by a snake, which was lying in the 

 nest and had swallowed the old bird as well as her blue eggs." 



The Bed-headed Weaver is very like the common Spotted 

 Weaver Bird in its habits, and has the same noisy chattering cry at 



