﻿83 
  Lieut. 
  H. 
  E. 
  Barnes 
  on 
  the 
  Birds 
  of 
  Aden. 
  

  

  beak. 
  It 
  flew 
  to 
  the 
  place 
  of 
  the 
  ohl 
  nest 
  again 
  and 
  began 
  to 
  

   twist 
  it 
  fast 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  twigs 
  of 
  the 
  tree^ 
  hanging 
  by 
  its 
  elaws 
  

   and 
  working 
  its 
  body 
  about 
  in 
  arranging 
  the 
  leaf. 
  When 
  it 
  got 
  

   fairly 
  advanced 
  with 
  the 
  nest 
  it 
  would 
  bring 
  a 
  leaf 
  and 
  force 
  

   one 
  end 
  of 
  it 
  into 
  an 
  open 
  space 
  ; 
  then, 
  letting 
  go 
  and 
  flying 
  

   up 
  above 
  the 
  nest, 
  it 
  would 
  pull 
  the 
  end 
  through 
  and 
  again 
  

   place 
  it 
  in 
  another 
  space 
  ; 
  in 
  fact 
  the 
  process 
  was 
  similar 
  to 
  

   our 
  weaving 
  or 
  plaiting, 
  and 
  was 
  very 
  cleverly 
  done. 
  I 
  

   noticed 
  that 
  the 
  bird 
  never 
  broke 
  off" 
  leaves 
  from 
  the 
  tree 
  

   the 
  nest 
  was 
  built 
  on, 
  but 
  from 
  an 
  adjoining 
  one.'' 
  

  

  This 
  pulling 
  the 
  old 
  nest 
  to 
  pieces 
  may, 
  however, 
  have 
  

   been 
  an 
  exceptional 
  case, 
  and 
  was 
  probably 
  due 
  to 
  sheer 
  

   petulance 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  at 
  having 
  her 
  egg 
  taken 
  ; 
  

   but 
  it 
  is 
  strange 
  that 
  she 
  should 
  have 
  built 
  another 
  nest 
  in 
  

   exactly 
  the 
  same 
  place. 
  

  

  The 
  eggs, 
  usually 
  three 
  in 
  number 
  (occasionally 
  only 
  two), 
  

   are 
  of 
  two 
  very 
  distinct 
  types, 
  and 
  no 
  one 
  but 
  an 
  experienced 
  

   oologist 
  would 
  ever 
  believe 
  that 
  they 
  both 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  

   same 
  species. 
  The 
  ground-colour 
  in 
  one 
  type 
  is 
  white, 
  in 
  

   the 
  other 
  it 
  is 
  more 
  or 
  less 
  deep 
  blue 
  ; 
  both 
  descriptions 
  are 
  

   thickly 
  spotted 
  and 
  blotched 
  with 
  bright 
  brick-red 
  ; 
  both 
  

   types 
  are 
  very 
  handsome. 
  In 
  shape 
  they 
  are 
  elongated 
  ovals, 
  

   j)inched 
  in 
  a 
  good 
  deal 
  at 
  one 
  end, 
  and 
  measure 
  about 
  0"8I 
  

   inch 
  in 
  length 
  by 
  rather 
  less 
  than 
  057 
  in 
  breadth. 
  

  

  A 
  male 
  measured 
  as 
  follows 
  : 
  — 
  Length 
  G'2 
  inches, 
  expanse 
  

   9-4, 
  wing 
  3-25, 
  tail 
  2-4, 
  tarsus 
  O'O, 
  bill 
  at 
  gape 
  0*6, 
  bill 
  at 
  

   front 
  0'58. 
  Bill 
  black, 
  legs 
  fleshy, 
  iris 
  orange. 
  

  

  57. 
  EsTRELDA 
  RUfiBARBA, 
  Cab. 
  (Sharpe, 
  Cat. 
  B. 
  xiii. 
  

   p. 
  394.) 
  

  

  This 
  Waxbill 
  is 
  very 
  common 
  inland, 
  but 
  I 
  have 
  never 
  

   met 
  with 
  it 
  in 
  Aden 
  proper. 
  I 
  have 
  had 
  specimens 
  from 
  

   Lahej 
  and 
  Huswah, 
  and 
  think 
  I 
  saw 
  it 
  close 
  to 
  Shaik 
  0th- 
  

   man 
  amongst 
  the 
  salsola 
  bushes, 
  but 
  the 
  ground 
  was 
  so 
  

   swampy 
  that 
  I 
  could 
  not 
  get 
  near 
  enough 
  to 
  shoot 
  one. 
  

  

  58. 
  Uroloncha, 
  sp. 
  inc. 
  

  

  A 
  Munia, 
  very 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  Plain 
  Brown 
  JNIunia, 
  occurs 
  

   at 
  Huswah. 
  

  

  