Birds of Suiithern Cunteroon. 583 



place and gone farther down on the twig. Tliis wreath 

 shews how a nest is begun — in the same manner as that 

 described for Ploceus cucuWitus (' Ibis/ 1909, p. 45). 



My series of eggs shews a remarkable variation in colonr 

 and markings ; but in one case only did those in the same 

 nest differ. Two eggs (Nos. 284 & 285), one pure -white, 

 the other speckled, were found in the same nest. Even in 

 this case I have reason to believe tliat they were not laid 

 by the same bird ; for, though the boy found three eggs in 

 the nest, and one got broken, only two very distinct empty 

 egg-sheaths were found in the bird's ovary, shewing that 

 she had laid only two eggs. Another hen Ngas must there- 

 fore have laid an egg in the nest. 



Most of the twenty-nine eggs vary little in size, the average 

 measurements being 21 x 14 mm. One very elongate speci- 

 men (No. 4f)4) was 23 x 14 ram. Two very small eggs 

 (Nos. 540 & 541 from one nest) measured, respectively, 

 19 X 13-5 and 18 x 135 mm. 



[In addition to the types already described (*' Ibis,' 1909, 

 p. 44), the more recent collections contain a number of 

 examples which are uniform pale greenish blue. — W. li. 

 O.-G.] 



Nestlings have the inside of the mouth flesh-red-yellowish 

 when very young, and the smaller margins of the gape 

 white. 



Ploceus ocularius. 



Reich. V. A. iii. p. 45. 



Sitagra ocularia Grant, Trans. Zool. Soc. xix. p. 280. 



Nos. 2770, 3763, 4134. All ? ad. Bitye. 



Nos. 3578, 4168, 4277. All S ad. Bitye. 



Nos. 3804, 4262. Young. Bitye. 



All of my specimens have the crown a little greener and the 

 pure yellow of the forehead less extended than in specimens 

 of P. ocularius from Ruwenzori and South Africa ; otherwise 

 they are similar. They are not Ploceus brachypterus. The 

 young birds have no black about the eyes, and the bills are 

 of a pale yellowish-horn-colour. This species is not very 

 rare, and is found in hikotok or in grassy places. 



2 R 2 



