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CHAPTER VI. 



STARLING-LIKE BIRDS AND SOXGLESS BIRDS. 



THE STURXIFORMES, OR STARLING-LIKE BIRDS -Characters THE WEAVER BIRDS Their Extraordinary 

 Nests Dr. Jerdon's Account of their Habits Construction of the Nest Performances of Trained Bayas THE 

 STARLINGS Characters THE COMMON STARLING Gregarious Habits THE AFRICAN BEEF-EATER Their Services 

 to Cattle THE WOOD SWALLOWS -Mr. Gould's Account of their Habits THE LARKS Distinctive Features 

 Their Habits Song THE MESOMYODI, OR SOXGLESS BIRDS Mostly of the New World-THE LYRE 

 BIRDS THE BUSH WRENS THE SPINE-TAILS THE OVEN BIRD THE AMERICAN ANT-THRUSHES 

 THE OLD WORLD ANT-THRUSHES THE TYRANT BIRDS THE KINGBIRD Dr. Brewer's Account of its 

 Habits THE AMERICAN CHATTERERS THE COCK OF THE ROCK THEBELL BIRD THE UMBRELLA BIRD THE 

 MANAKINS THE BROADBILLS THE PLANT-CUTTERSORDER OF PIGEOXS -Difference between 

 Pigeons and Game-birds Features THE DODOS Now Extinct History THE SOLITAIRE Also Extinct THE 

 TOOTH -BILLED PIGEON THE COLUMBID^, OR TRUE PIGEONS Four Divisions THE FRUIT PIGEONS THE 

 TRUE DOVES -THE PASSENGER PIGEON Its Long-continued Flights THE BRONZE- WINGS THE CROWNED PIGEONS. 



THE THIRD GROUP OF THE PASSERIFORMES, OR PERCHING-BIRDS. 

 THE STURXIFORMES, OR STARLIXG-LIKE BIRDS. 



ALL the birds belonging to this series have ten primaries in their wings, the first one being, however, 



rudimentary, and in some of the Larks so small as to be nearly obsolete, and to require & 



minute search to discover it at all. Only four families are included in 



this series, the Weaver Birds, the Wood Swallows, the Starlings, and the 



Larks. The Weaver Birds and the Larks follow naturally upon the 



Finches and Buntings, with which birds the previous family of perching 



birds ended ; while the Starlings are not distantly related on the one hand 



to the American Hang-nests, and on the other hand to the Crows, which 



they very much resemble in their habit of walking on the ground. 



THE FIRST FAMILY OF THE STARLIXG-LIKE PERCHIXG-BIRDS. 

 THE WEAVER BIRDS (Ploceidcc}. 



As already noticed, the Weavers are not very unlike the Finches. 

 They form rather a numerous family distributed over Africa and India, 

 ranging into the Malayan Peninsula. The nests constructed by these 

 birds the extraordinary character of which structures has gained them 

 their name of Weaver are among the most interesting productions of 

 bird architecture, as the specimens in the Natural History Museum at 

 Kensington will show. The following account of the common Weaver 

 Bird of India (Ploceus bay a} is given by Dr. Jerdon * : "The common 

 Weaver Bird is found throughout the whole of India, from Cape Comorin 

 and Ceylon to the foot of the Himalayas, and extending into Assam, 

 Burmah, and Malayana. It is most abundant in the well-wooded parts 

 of the country, and in the bare table-land of the Deccan you may travel 

 for days without seeing one. It appears to wander about some localities, 

 for some observers have stated that it is migratory, but it is certainly a 

 permanent resident in most parts of the country ; and their roosting 

 places on certain trees are well known. Grain of all kinds, especially 

 rice, and various grass-seeds, form the chief food of the Weaver Bird, 

 and I never observed it feeding on fruit, as Sykes asserts he has known 

 it do on the fig of the banyan tree. Whilst feeding, particularly, as well 

 as at other times, the whole flock keeps up a perpetual chirruping. I 

 have seen it feeding in grain fields in company with flocks of Emberiza melanocejriiala ; and 

 Sykes relates that he has seen it associate with the common Sparrow. 



" The Baya breeds during the rains, according to the locality, from April to September, but I am 



* " Birds of India," Vol. II., p. 244. 

 156 



SECTION OF NEST OF -WEAVER 

 BIRD. 



