132 BIRD GALLERY. 



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

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

 species that build in colonies the Sociable Weavers (Phifa tents socius) 

 (2645) of South Africa is perhaps one of the roost 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 Ploceinee, 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 species 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 egg^, uniform 

 or spotted with red. 



Family XXXVI. ICTERID^. HANG-NESTS. (Plate XXII. figs. 2, 3.) 



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

 1 ' and include a large number of species possessing only nine primary 

 quills. Five subfamilies are recognized. The Cassiques (Cassicina) 

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

 American (Gymnostinops montezumte) (2647). The Maize - Birds 

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

 prairie lands, and pampas. They include the especially interesting 

 Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus] (2654) [PI. XXII. fig. 3] and the 

 Cow-birds (Molothrus) (2655) [PI. XXII. fig. 2], in which the poly- 

 gamous 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 baltimore) 

 (2670), a well-known representative of the true Hang-nests (Icterirue). 

 This species and many of its allies are of brilliant black and yellow 

 plumage, and for this reason, generally known as American " Orioles," 

 but they must not be confounded with the Orioles of the Old World, 

 which they superficially resemble. Quiscalm major (2682) may be taken 

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

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

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

 (Sturnella) (2668), 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 



