216 BIRDS' NESTS 



these birds, as we have ah-eady seen, build open 

 cup-shaped nests ; many of the others have a pen- 

 dulous cradle, whilst in others it is domed. As an 

 instance of the latter, we may mention the nest of 

 the well-known Meadow Starling (Sturnella magna), 

 which builds a globular nest of grass, placing it 

 amongst vegetation on the ground. 



Some of the most remarkable of these domed 

 nest-builders are to be found amongst the very aptly 

 named Weaver-birds (Ploceid^e) or Weaver Finches, a 

 group (containing some 250 species) which is essen- 

 tially a feature of the bird-life of the Ethiopian 

 region, although represented in the Oriental and 

 Australian regions, but not in America. With these 

 birds weaving is little less than a mania, even 

 certain species when caged apparently deriving great 

 pleasure from twisting strings and fibres about their 

 prison bars, and as exponents of the art they are 

 certainly unrivalled in the avine world. Some of 

 the curious cradles they so dexterously put together 

 fall more naturally into our division devoted to 

 pendulous nests, but a few of them require con" 

 sideration here. The nest of the Blue-breasted 

 Waxbill (Estnlda angolensis), a species breeding in 

 Mashonaland, is a domed structure, with an entrance 

 at the side, made of dry grass with no special lining. 

 This is often built in a mimosa bush. A very inter- 

 esting feature about the nidification of this bird is 

 (as was, I believe, first recorded by Mr Guy Mar- 



