4396 TuE ZooLocisTt—APRIL, 1875. 
In size it is rather less than the common hare; the fur is very long 
and of a fulvous colour; the tail is bushy and tipped with black 
hairs. The Kafirs call it “tenash,” and kill large numbers by 
hunting them down with dogs, as they are very fond of the flesh: 
they use the skin to make their “mutcha,” the only garment they 
wear in their wild state, which is simply a girdle composed of 
strips of skin hanging round their waists. In some places, where 
rocks are scarce, they are said to burrow and form large warrens, 
like the rabbit; but we cannot vouch for the truth of this, never 
having seen them out of a stony country. On one occasion we 
found a nest formed of dry grass, lined with the down of these 
animals, in the middle of our coffee plantation; it contained a 
young “helamys,” which was very wild and endeavoured to escape: 
we took it home, but it would not eat, and soon died. If taken at 
a suitable age, there is no reason why they should not thrive well 
in confinement. The flesh we have often eaten ; it is much superior 
to that of the rock rabbit. 
Weaver-Birds.—As so much has been written about the African 
weaver-birds and their nests, we will confine ourselves to a few 
remarks on the different species in the collection which we have 
formed in Natal. 
The speckled weaver (Ploceus spilonotus) is the commonest of 
our weaver-birds: here it almost takes the place of the sparrow, 
and it is as much complained of by the farmers, although perhaps 
it does as much good as harm, feeding for a considerable part 
of the year upon insects. They congregate in large flocks all 
the year round, and at the breeding season form colonies in the 
branches of large trees, generally on the banks of a stream; the 
“ flat-crown,” a species of acacia, is their favourite tree. The nest 
is nearly round, with the opening on one side; it is fixed to the 
branch with thongs of grass. The eggs vary greatly in colour, but 
are usually of a light blue, spotted with brown. Weavers are very 
noisy birds, and whilst building keep up a continual chattering. 
Sometimes they suspend their nests between two strong reeds in 
the water, which are more secure in windy weather than those 
placed in the trees. Last year, after a violent storm, we found 
about fifty of the nests of this weaver strewing the ground under a 
single tree, the eggs and young being destroyed. The birds, not 
at all disheartened, at once commenced to rebuild, and soon the 
tree was as thickly covered with them as ever. The plumage of 
