CAGE BIRDS 191 



assume during the winter the dull brownish plumage of the 

 female. 



The nests of Weavers are wonderful affairs, usually 

 pendulous, finely and intricately woven of soft materials, 

 such as grass, hay, bark fiber, etc. Like the Whydahs, these 

 birds live well enough in a cage, but are much better in an 

 aviary, where they may have more room to flit about. 

 Several males in such an enclosure will decorate the branches 

 with innumerable nests, at which they work incessantly. For 

 nesting materials, there is nothing superior to rafBa or bast, 

 sold by all dealers in florists' supplies, at about twenty-five 

 cents per pound. In spite of this nest-building propensity, 

 it is seldom indeed that Weavers are successfully bred in 

 captivity. 



Weavers are notorious for their habits of persecuting 

 smaller birds, and should never be caged with them. A 

 diet of seeds, with a little soft food and a few insects dur- 

 ing the molt, will keep them in health. 



Of the orange and black species, three are well known in 

 confinement. The Grenadier Weaver (Pyromelana orix) 

 is the largest. The male is reddish-orange in general, with 

 the head and throat black, as is the abdomen. The tail and 

 wings are blackish. The Crimson-crowned Weaver {P. 

 Hammiceps) is similar, but has the crown orange instead 

 of black, the latter color being confined to a patch surround- 

 ing the eye and covering the cheek and another on the throat. 

 The Orange Weaver {P. franciscana) is the smallest of 

 the three. It has the crown and cheeks black, but the chin 

 and throat are orange. These three species are not dis- 

 tinguished by dealers, and are sold indiscriminately as 

 " Orange Bishops." 



Two yellow and black species are equally common. The 

 male Napoleon Weaver (P. afra) is chiefly bright yellow, 

 with cheeks, throat and lower abdomen black. The wings 



