132 BIEl) GALLERY. 



such as the species of Munia (2610-4), Poephila (2624-5;, and Estrilda 

 (2628-31), and the lovely Erythmra (2619-20). Of the numerous 

 species that build in colonies the Sociable Weavers {Philatenis socius) 

 (2645) of South Africa is perhaps one of the most interesting. By 

 the united workmanship of a large number of birds, an umbrella- 

 shaped structure of sticks and straw is erected among the branches of a 

 tree, and from the underside of this thatched roof each pair suspend 

 their nest woven of dry grass, and rear their young, secure from the 

 attacks of snakes and other enemies. 



Of the PloceineB, the most familiar is the common Indian species, 

 Ploceus baya (2641), which suspends its flask-shaped nest with a long 

 tubular entrance from a branch overhanging the water. This species 

 invariably lays white eggs, but some of the African forms of Hyphant- 

 ornis (2638-40) and Pyromelana (2588-9) lay eggs of several types, 

 and the same nest may contain white, pale blue, or green eggs, uniform 

 or spotted with red. 



Family XXXVI. Icterid^. Hang-nests. (Plate XXI. fig. 2.) 



[Cases These birds represent the Starlings and Weavers in the New World, 

 81 & 82.] and include a large number of species possessing only nine primary 

 quills. Five subfamilies are recognised. The Cassiques [Cassicince) 

 are forest-birds mostly of large size, one of the largest being the Central 

 American {Gymnast inops montezuma) (2647). The Maize - Birds 

 (AgelairKB) are ground-haunting species frequenting the open pastures, 

 prairie-lands, and pampas. They include the Bobolink {Dolichony.v 

 07'yzivoi'us) (2654) and the especially interesting Cow-birds (^Molothrus) 

 (2655) [PI. XXI. fig. 2], in which the polygamous and parasitic habits of 

 some of the Cuckoos of the Old World are repeated. The Bobolink, 

 one of the finest American songsters, is perhaps only rivalled by 

 the Baltimore Oriole {Icterus haltimore) (2670), a well-known repre- 

 sentative of the true Hang-nests {Icterina). Tliis species and many 

 of its allies are of brilliant black-and-yellow plumage, and for 

 this reason are generally known as American " Orioles,^' but they 

 must not be confounded with the Orioles of the Old World, which 

 they superficially resemble. Quiscalus major (2682) may be taken 

 as a type of the next subfamily, Quiscalince, characterised by the long 

 stout metatarsi suited to a terrestrial life. Lastly, the Sturnellime, 

 including the Troupials {Trupialis) (2668 a) and " Aleadow-Larks " 

 (Sturnella) f2668), are remarkable on account of their extraordinary 

 mimetic resemblance to the Pipits, more especially of the genus 

 Macronyx (p. 128), their lengthened inner secondaries and strong feet 

 adapting them to their purely terrestrial life. Many of the species 



