WEAVER BIRDS. 523 



opinion that our Domestic Canary has a cross of the Siskin in it : 

 this belief for a long time existed, but most naturalists now are of 

 opinion that the Siskin belongs to a different genus. 



The WIDOW BIRDS, or WHIDAH FINCHES (Vidua, Sw.), Fig. 

 233, are among the most remarkable of the hard-billed, seed-eating 

 birds to which they belong. The long, drooping tail feathers 

 which adorn the males in the breeding season give them a very 

 singular appearance. The upper part of their plumage is of a 

 faded blackish brown, assuming a paler hue on the wings 

 and lateral tail feathers. The whole body is tinged with this 

 faded black, gradually narrowing as it descends to the middle of 

 the breast ; a broad, rich orange-brown collar proceeds from the 

 back of the neck, uniting with a tinge of the same colour on the 

 sides of the breast, this last hue passing into the pale buff colour 

 of the body, abdomen, and thighs, and the under tail coverts 

 being of the same colour as the upper ones a hue to which 

 the bird is indebted for its popular and scientific name. The 

 tail feathers are black ; the four lateral ones on each side slightly 

 graduated, and rather longer than the one immediately above. 

 The next two are the long, drooping feathers, externally convex, 

 so conspicuous in the male bird, which, in fine specimens, measure 

 a foot in length from base, and about three-quarters of an inch in 

 width. The body of the bird is about the size of a Canary. They 

 are natives of South Africa and Senegal. 



Near to the Widow Birds in the system we may place the 

 Java Sparrow, Rice Bird, or Paddee Bird of the East Indies and 

 Eastern Archipelago (Fringilla oryzivora, Sw.), Fig. 234. They 

 are eagerly sought for as pets, in consequence of their brilliant 

 plumage, and the facility with which they learn innumerable 

 tricks. 



The WEAVER BIRDS (Ploceus, Cuvier) close the series of Frin- 

 gillidcB. They live in flocks in the interior of Africa, where 

 they feed on the cereals and the young of weaker birds. They 

 chirp, but have no song ; and they owe their name to the in- 

 imitable art which they display in constructing their nests. These 

 vary in form according to the species, and are composed of grass, 

 rushes, and straw. They are usually suspended from the branches 

 of a tree, the entrance being below. Sometimes they are spiral- 



