144 PLOCE1DJE VIDUA 



nostrils basal, lateral, almost hidden by the frontal feathers and 

 rounded. Wings moderate ; the first quill spurious, the second 

 nearly as long as the third ; the third, fourth and fifth nearly equal 

 and longest. Tail of moderate length, in the male the four centre 

 feathers greatly elongated and of various forms. Tarsi slender, 

 scaled anteriorly ; toes long and slender, the lateral ones nearly 

 equal, the hind toe as long as the inner. Claws long and sharp. 

 Plumage : in winter the two sexes hardly distinguishable, in the 

 breeding season conspicuously different, owing to the assumption 

 by the male of a highly decorative dress, including the four 

 elongated central tail-feathers. 



The Widow, or Whydah Birds, as they are sometimes termed, 

 comprise five species, confined to the Ethiopian region. They are 

 of small size, and, according to Dr. Butler, in " Foreign Finches 

 in Captivity;" "are readily distinguished from the Ornamental 

 Finches and from the Weavers, inasmuch as all of them, when 

 feeding upon the ground, scratch the earth with their feet with a 

 shuffling motion, somewhat reminding one of a fowl. When 

 courting, they rise and fall in the air above the hen, flapping their 

 wings rythmically and then suddenly swoop down at her with a 

 squeal. 



" All the Whydahs have a harsh song, approaching that of the 

 Weavers, but sometimes with a few clear notes interspersed ; like 

 the latter birds, they will live entirely upon millet, canary and 

 paddy-rice, caring little for green food. They do not seem to be 

 great insect-eaters, though they will sometimes accept mealworms 

 or green caterpillars." 



The Widow-birds are polygamous, each male being generally 

 accompanied by from ten to fifty or more, females. Very little is 

 known of their nesting habits, but the females doubtless build 

 domed nests in the grass like the Coliopasseres. The eggs have not 

 been described. 



Key to the Species. 



a. The four central tail-feathers greatly elongated, 

 between three and four times the length of the 

 wing. 



a 1 . Central feathers narrow and of- nearly equal 

 width throughout, the webs convex, so that 



the outer pair enclose the inner. Bill red... V. principalis, $ in 



summer, p. 145. 



