226 Zoological Society. 



Africa. Common : seen in flocks of six or eight, making a continual 

 chattering noise as they fly ; this species dives into the salt as well as 

 fresh water, sometimes from the height perhaps of twenty feet ; I 

 have seen them hover over their scaly prey like a kestril. 



Hah. Fernando Po and river Niger, as far up as Iddah. 



Macronyx jiavigaster, Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) vii. ; B. 

 of W. Africa, p. 215, 1837. 



Hub. Accra. 



Ploceus tcxtor, Cuv. 



Hah. Cape Palmas, Cape Coast and Fernando Po. 

 At each of the above places I found this bird extremely common ; 

 they commit much mischief in the rice and Indian-corn plantations. 

 As many as fifty pairs may be seen building their domed nests in one 

 tree, and in the neighbourhood of houses : they lay from four to five 

 mottled eggs, varying as much in size, colour and markings as do our 

 common Sparrow {Pyrgita domcstica, Cuv.) ; they are extremely ac- 

 tive and noisy, continuing fighting and chattering from daybreak to 

 sundown : the nest is composed of coarse grass interwoven, some- 

 times fixed in a forked branch of a tree and at other times suspended. 

 Plocevs hrachypterus. Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) vii. ; B. 

 of W. Africa, p. 168. pi. 10, 1837. 

 Hah. Fernando Po. 



Found in company with P. textor, living in the gardens round 

 Clarence. Irides white. 



Ploceus pcrsonatus, Vieill. Gal. des Ois. pi. 84. 

 Hah. Cape Coast. 



Euplectes oryx, Swains., Loxia oryx, Vieill. 



Hah. Cape Coast. Common : frequents the Indian-corn planta- 

 tions. 



Vidua chrysonota. Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) vii. ; B. of 

 W. Africa, p. 178, 1837. 

 Hah. Cape Palmas. 



Vidua erythrorhynchis, Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) vii. ; 

 B. of W. Africa, p. 17G. pi. 12, 1837. 

 Hah. Cape Palmas. Common. 



Passer simplex, Pyrgita simplex. Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) 

 vii. ; B. of W. Africa, p. 208, 1837. 

 Hah. Cape Coast and Accra. 



Passer Jagoensis, Gould. Voy. of Beag. (Birds) p. 95. pi. 31. 

 Pyrgita Jagoensis, Gould, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1837, p. 77. 

 Hah. St. Vincent's and St. Antonio, Cape Verde Islands (June). 

 Lamprotornis chrysonotis. Swains. Jard. Nat. Lib. vol. (Orn.) vii. ; 

 p. 143. pi. G, 1837. 

 Hah. Fernando Po. 



Very shy : iiidcs white, bill and legs black, nostrils large and open. 

 Caws somewhat like a crow ; inakes a burring noise like a parrot 

 when beginning to fly ; lives in the loftiest trees. The gizzard con- 

 tained small seeds and red berries. The sexes do not differ. 



